Onslaught
by ShadowMajin
Summary: Thirteen years is a long time to live a nightmare, yet this is where Gohan finds himself. With all of his comrades dead, the future of the world resting on his shoulders, there is only one thing he can do: survive.
1. Goodbye, Son Goku

This is a story long in the making. Before I even came up with the idea for In Your Dreams, I was working on this but encountered an extreme case of writer's block, harddrive failure, and lost chapters. So it's just amazing that this is finally being posted. And that's just the backstory.

I've seen many a Mirai Timeline fic and have always enjoyed reading about possible scenarios that could've occured in that timeline. So then came the question of what happened during the thirteen years that Gohan fought the Androids. This is my answer to that question.

I hope ya'll enjoy it.

Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ

* * *

Time was running out. He could feel it in his gut. Running as fast as he could, the little nine year old headed home.

It had only been mere minutes ago that he had felt a change; one not for the good. He had been sent out to gather some firewood for the house, though he suspected it was just to keep him busy. For that he was thankful, if only for the few moments it allowed him to escape his reality.

And that's when it happened. His father had been sick with some illness; one that hadn't been known of until a year or so ago. From what Bulma could tell them, it was a virus that attacked its host's heart, causing the victim untold amounts of pain.

And of all the people to contract such a vicious disease, it had to be his father.

Reaching a stream, he leapt from the ground, touching down on a stone that stuck out of the water. Leaping again, he landed on another protruding stone and then leapt to another. The leap after that one finished his crossing, allowing him to continue running towards his home.

There it was! The familiar, igloo-shaped hut that was his home; the setting sun forming a beautiful backdrop. However, there had been some new additions; namely the small gathering of people in the front yard.

Everyone from Krillen, Tien, and Yamcha to his mentor, Piccolo, stood outside. Each of them had a downcast look upon their faces. That wasn't a cause for concern since everyone had that same look for the past couple of days when his father took a turn for the worst.

Closer to the door stood Bulma, his father's first friend. She held an infant in her arms, one with short lavender hair and large blue eyes. Currently, the baby was watching everyone, completely in awe of his surroundings. The country must've been a whole lot different from the city he was raised in, the boy mused.

There was one other there as well, a bit surprising to the young boy. Sitting on a rock by the stream that ran by his house, completely separated from the others, was Vegeta. At the moment, the Saiyan Prince looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but there; most likely training to become the strongest in the universe.

That was of little concern to the boy. He raced pass all of the people he considered friends, reaching the door a moment later. Grabbing the handle, he swung the door open.

In the room stood a group of people, each of them startled by his entrance. "Gohan!" his mother exclaimed.

Other than his mother, his grandfather, the Ox King, and Master Roshi occupied the room. Each man held a different look upon their faces. For the Ox King, he mimicked his daughter's look of surprise, not expecting his grandson to burst into the room unexpectedly. For Roshi, a grave look was on his face; one that told Gohan he knew the reason for the sudden appearance.

And in the middle of the room, laying on a folded out futon, was his father. Son Goku wore the colors of the Turtle Hermit School, even in his darkest hour. Then again, he rarely wore anything other than the orange gi and blue undershirt.

It was at that moment, almost as if fate had been waiting for this exact event to occur, his father began to thrash wildly, grasping his chest as he cried in pain. All the adults turned their attention to the man, rushing to his bedside.

Then, as suddenly as it began, it had stopped. His father went limp, never to move again.

Gohan's eyes widened. He couldn't feel his dad anymore, even though he lay before him. His ki was fading into nothingness. It was almost redundant when the Turtle Hermit put his hand on Chichi's shoulder and said "He's gone."

A heartbreaking cry erupted from his mother's mouth as she fell against Roshi. Anything she could've said was drowned out by her sobs.

Evidently, everyone else outside the home had heard the hermit. "Goku…" Krillen murmured as sorrow filled his heavy heart. The other three warriors merely bowed their heads, their eyes closed as they soaked in the news.

"Goku, no," Bulma said as she clutched her baby, who looked at her curiously. Tears began falling from her eyes as soft weeping left her.

However, it was Vegeta's reaction that truly captured the heavy emotions. Although he only said "Kakarot," his face was full of disbelief, like he hadn't seen this coming. The Saiyan Prince had viewed Son Goku as a dreaded rival, one that had to be overcome. It was that purpose that kept him on Earth and it was now gone, not by his own hand but that of nature.

As the setting sun disappeared over the horizon, so too did the Earth's greatest hero.

* * *

_It took many months for my mother and I to overcome my father's death. He had meant the world to us, especially after he returned from space._

_They say that time heals all wounds. Well, who ever said that obviously hadn't lost someone close to them. Time wasn't a factor; it was a reminder. A reminder of who was missing; who wasn't greeting you at the breakfast table and tucking you in for the night. A reminder that nothing would be the same no matter how much you wished it._

_Yet, mourning was the last thing he would want either of us to do; the same with all of his friends and rivals. Eventually, the pain subsided, though not completely. Thoughts of him weren't as reoccurring as the use to be._

_But the peace that my father created with his own two hands would soon be dashed. Barely a year after his death, a new terror descended upon Earth with an onslaught of terror and death following in its wake._


	2. Read The Obituaries

There has always been one thing that bothered me with the Mirai Timeline. In The History of Trunks movie, it was said the Androids hunted the Z warriors down one by one, yet in the anime, and the manga to a certain extent, indicated they all died in one great battle with Gohan being the sole survivor. A bit confusing if you think about it. It's possible I suppose with multiple timelines that in one the Z warriors were hunted down, another where they all died in one battle, and another that was a happy median between the two extremes. Possible and likely, but opens up the discussion to many different aspects like if there are multiple past timelines, if the Trunks that defeated Frieza was the same one to show up in the fight with Gero or was a different one, and so many others. Time traveling is mind-boggling to say the least.

So that leads me to ask what ya'lls thoughts on the subject are? Let me know via email, PM, or review. I'm really curious what other people think.

* * *

A war cry echoed throughout the room. With a flurry of fists, sweat flying from his body with each strike, the warrior known as Vegeta forced his body to overcome the obstacle before him.

He stood in a round room that was empty besides himself and a machine that stood in the middle of it. On a screen, the number 150g held steady.

It had been nearly a year since he had lost his enemy, the one called Kakarot. The miserable, third-class rat had the nerve to die before he could beat him. He had left the world full of uncertainty or so it seemed to the prince. It was almost as if he wanted to leave before the Saiyan Prince overcame him.

It had taken a couple months for Vegeta to come to this conclusion. As much as he detested the thought, he had reacted just like the weaker fighters. In fact, the proud Saiyan had given up training and began a form of soul searching, something his old self would have ridiculed himself for.

For days at a time he would stand by a window and stare out towards the horizon emotionless. Nothing ever came from it and all that did was cause the man to seethe. He was like a ship without a compass, directionless and lonesome.

However, his motivation was revived by the least likely source. One day, the blue haired woman had drug him over to Kakarot's house in an attempt for him to "socialize." Her plan failed miserably when Vegeta refused to enter the house, retreating to the rock he had sat upon when he had first head the news of his rival's death.

It was then that something curious happened. For the next couple hours, the Saiyan Prince saw the young Gohan doing chores. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary but the battle-hardened warrior couldn't help but notice the way he went about them. When cutting wood, he used his hand to chop them apart. When he went to fetch water, he used the full buckets as weights as he returned to the house. Those were just a couple of examples of the boy's activities.

And for the life of him Vegeta couldn't figure out why. Why would the son of his most hated enemy train his body? It wasn't as if he were going to fight any time soon, not to mention that there weren't many high-caliber fighters around. It just didn't make sense.

"Boy," he called out gruffly, surprising Gohan as he carried a basket of laundry. "Why are you doing that?"

Gohan blinked his eyes. "Because my mom told me to."

"Not that, brat. You've been using your chores to train. Why?"

Understanding caught up with the boy. "Oh. Well, Mr. Piccolo always said one should be ready for any threat."

Vegeta snorted. Why that boy looked up to the Namekian was beyond him. "And if that threat never comes?"

"Then I'll be able to protect people no matter what."

The Saiyan Prince turned his head away. What rubbish. Protecting the weak. Only the strong survived in this cold, unfeeling world and the weak perished.

Apparently, Gohan took note of the old saiyan's thoughts. "You know, if you tried to help people more, maybe you'll go to Otherworld. I know my dad would like it if you did."

"Pfft, and why would I care what a low-class wretch likes?"

"Well, you'd get to face each other again."

It was like a light bulb clicked on. There was still a chance he, Prince Vegeta, could still have his rematch; to finally prove that he was the strongest Saiyan ever and not the third-class clown. Why hadn't he thought of that before? Sometimes that little whelp could think of something useful.

Unfortunately, he had been neglecting his training. He must've grown soft in the past months with inactivity, just long enough for Kakarot to keep an edge on him while in the next dimension. That would have to be remedied.

That turning point was what brought the Saiyan to where he was now. He was certain that he had overcome his self-made gap in power and added plenty more on top of it. But in the game he played, one mustn't ever stop improving. One day, someone stronger would appear and crush you into the dirt.

With one last yell, the Saiyan Prince threw his strongest punch yet, watching as more droplets of sweat flew in the air and fall to the ground. Straightening his posture, he walked to the machine and pressed a couple buttons. The 150g on the screen decreased all the way to 1g before Vegeta headed towards the door.

If there was one thing the blue haired woman was good for, it was building this gravity machine. Kakarot had used a similar machine on his way to Namek and it had done wonders for him. Though the lower class fighter had only reached 100gs, Vegeta had done three times as much many times within the last couple years. Today he was taking it easy at 150.

This was because a few weeks ago two monsters had emerged from somewhere to the South and began reeking havoc all over the place. While that didn't bother Vegeta at all, it did present an interesting prospect. Long had he wished to fight someone in order to test his new power. There weren't many people on this worthless mudball that could challenge his might, so this would have to do.

At least until he faced the third-class clown again.

Entering into the hall in front of the gravity room, Vegeta went straight to a towel rack that hung on the wall opposite the door. Wiping his face with one of the towels, the Saiyan began making his way to his own room, though not before he ran into the woman.

"You're out early," Bulma said, a bit surprised. "Usually you're in longer."

Vegeta merely grunted in response, walking past her. "I have plans for tonight."

If Bulma wasn't surprised already, she was definitely now. "Plans? What plans? You never have plans. Heck, I don't think you've left Capsule Corporation unless I've forced you to leave."

The Saiyan continued walking down the hall, but this time he had the woman following him. "Hey Vegeta, did you hear me?"

"Yes I heard you," he answered.

"Then why didn't you answer me?"

"Because I didn't want to."

That had been the wrong thing to say to her, not that he cared. "Hey, this is my house, Vegeta! You are _my_ guest here so the least you could do is answer my questions when I ask them."

That caused the prince to roll his eyes. "I'm going to fight those monsters that appeared a couple weeks ago."

Bulma cocked an eyebrow. "You're gonna go fight monsters? Vegeta, I didn't know you had the heart to defend us weak humans."

That caused Vegeta to growl in irritation. "I'm not 'defending' anyone! I'm going to see how powerful I've truly become, Woman. Now leave me be."

He was met with silence, which was unusual for the brilliant woman. Usually she would start an argument with him that ended with both sides pissed. Though that had been how the runt was born, the Saiyan Prince wasn't up to adding another brat to his collection.

Turning to look at the woman, he could see a look of concern. Finally, she broke the silence. "Umm, Vegeta, there've been more reports of those monsters."

"So?"

"They say they're people. A young man and woman."

So, it wasn't some beast he was after but a couple of blood thirsty fighters. This should prove quite interesting.

"Is there anything else you've heard?" Vegeta questioned.

"From what I've been told, the young man has black hair and the woman has blonde. Not much else than that."

Vegeta nodded. "Read the obituaries tomorrow morning. You'll find their pictures there."


	3. The Prince Of Saiyans

Night had fallen over the desolate city. It hadn't always been like that though. At one time it had been thriving with life, people making their way to and from work or enjoying time with their families.

That had all changed within an hour.

Now it was nothing but ruined buildings, cracked forming all over their concrete surfaces. Dark clouds hovered in the sky, making an already dark night much darker.

Vegeta wouldn't have it any other way.

Arriving in his brand new saiyan armor, one that replaced the standard shoulder guards with metal-linked straps, he was ready for combat. The only thing he need was for those monsters to show themselves.

Apparently, the two people he was looking for didn't have any sort of ki source, something he found troubling, but that wouldn't stop him. He was far too powerful for such a trick to psych him out.

All over the city, clouds of black smoke rose from brightly lit areas. Fires must've been the source, not that that wasn't obvious. Telling from how dim the lights were, the fires were slowly dying, most likely running out of material to consume.

And that was when a tremor shook the area and a loud explosion occurred. Whipping his head to a side, the Saiyan Prince saw a new smoke cloud rising into the sky.

Perfect.

Moments later, he was touching down on the ground, looking at two people who stood with their backs to him. They seemed to be captivated by the sight of the dancing flames before them, something that caused Vegeta to smirk. Only amateurs admired their own work after a kill.

"So you're the 'scary monsters' I've been hearing about," the Saiyan Prince called out, finally obtaining the attention of his soon-to-be opponents. "You don't look like much."

As the two monsters looked at him, Vegeta took in their appearances. The young man with shoulder-length black hair from Bulma's description stared with piercing blue eyes, almost as if studying the prince. His wardrobe reflected his age as well; blue jeans, a black short sleeve shirt with a white long sleeve under it, and an orange neckerchief.

The blonde woman looked just like the young man. One could even call her his sibling or even twin. A black shirt with pinstriped sleeves covered her torso, along with a blue jean jacket. A skirt of the same material as the jacket covered her bottom half along with black leggings.

A couple moments passed before recognition appeared in both of their eyes simultaneously. "So you're the one called Vegeta, are you not?" the young man asked.

Vegeta's smirk grew. "That would be me. I see you've heard of me."

"Indeed. You're the one Son Goku defeated years ago."

That caused Vegeta to lose his smirk. "Listen to me, you brat; I am the Prince of all Saiyans; the strongest Saiyan in the universe! For your insult, I will break you in two!"

"Unlikely," the blonde woman spoke. "You're strength doesn't compare to the strength of an android."

"An android? Is that what you two are?" Vegeta questioned.

"Correct," the young man answered. "We are two cybernetic androids created by Dr. Gero with the solo purpose of killing Son Goku. You wouldn't happen to know where he is, do you? We had thought killing a bunch of people would flush him out but so far our efforts have proven fruitless."

"Kakarot is no more," the proud saiyan replied spitefully. "And you are focusing on the wrong Saiyan, for I, Vegeta, am stronger than Kakarot could ever have hoped to become!"

"Then let's see what you've got, Prince," the android mocked. Turning his head, he looked at his counterpart and nodded. "Ready Eighteen?"

"When ever you are, Seventeen," she replied.

Suddenly, Vegeta burst out with laughter. "Ready? You two will never be ready for me. You're fighting a losing battle once I've become a Super Saiyan."

"A Super Saiyan?" Seventeen asked with mild curiosity. "What's that? Care to show us?"

"Gladly."

Balling his fists, Vegeta began gathering his ki. Slowly, a golden aura began to form around him until it was roaring around his body. A mighty wind raged throughout the area, though the Androids looked unaffected by it. With a mighty yell, the aura stabilized around the saiyan as his hair became golden and his eyes teal.

The Super Saiyan had arrived.

"Now…" the golden Vegeta said, smirking. "Come at me."

Neither Android spoke a word. Almost as if they were following a silent cue, they both charged at the saiyan, aiming to tag team him.

Taking the first strike, Seventeen swung a kick at Vegeta's head. Reacting, the Saiyan merely tilted his head back, watching the kick flying by his head harmlessly. Out of the corner of his eye though, he saw Eighteen coming in to land a punch. This time, Vegeta raised his left arm, blocking the blow with his forearm.

Not wasting time, Vegeta straightened out his blocking arm, pressing it up against Eighteen's arm. Grabbing her by her bicep, he then swung her to the opposite side of his body, slamming her into her comrade, the two of flying away.

Gathering his ki into his other arm, Vegeta then thrust his right arm out, the fingers stiffened together with the thumb curled into the palm. With a yell, he fired a golden ki blast, the beam racing towards his opponents.

And just as he planned, the blast exploded upon the Androids, sending flames all over the place. With the way the fight had gone, Vegeta wouldn't have been surprised if they both had been annihilated with that attack. His strength was just too much for even a test run!

However, any more thoughts of victory disappeared as the twin Androids emerged from the flames, looking no worse for wear. Without a word, they both raised their hands and gathered their energy, Seventeen's being a blue color while Eighteen's took on a light red, almost pink. Simultaneously, they fired their blasts.

Reacting, Vegeta flared his aura and launched himself into the air, the energy blasts exploding below him.

As he flew higher into the air, the prince suddenly felt a presence behind him. Turning his head, he caught sight of Eighteen as she flew behind him, keeping pace with his speed as her arms crossed over her chest.

"Hi."

Rage filling him, Vegeta swung his body around and raised a fist, ready to attack the android. He never got the chance to throw the punch, however, as Seventeen appeared behind him, his hands clasped together. With a swing, he jackhammered the Saiyan, sending him flying on a diagonal path towards the ground.

Recovering, Vegeta flipped in midair, allowing himself to land on his feet, the ground crack around his boots. Looking up, he caught sight of Eighteen closing in on him, coming much too fast for him to launch a counterattack.

Immediately, Vegeta began blocking as the female android threw a rapid succession of punches. He was surprised with the power and speed behind each blow, a feeling the Saiyan Prince did not like at all. Fortunately, he had been able to block each strike successfully.

That was when he caught Seventeen charging at him from the corner of his eye. Reacting, the Saiyan ducked Eighteen's next punch, the fist flying over his head. Quickly, Vegeta shot out a leg towards Seventeen, catching him off guard as the foot nailed him in the gut, causing him to bend over the appendage.

Pushing off the ground with his other foot, Vegeta tried to put some distance between him and his foes. Unfortunately, Eighteen gave chase immediately, holding one arm out as she fired an energy blast at him.

Crossing an arm in front of his chest, Vegeta swung it out, slapping the beam away. The next thing he knew, the Android used a burst of speed to close the gap between them, ramming her head with his own and sending him flying away.

Somehow, the saiyan warrior managed to get his feet back on the ground, even as he skidded a few more feet. On his forehead, a large bruise was forming from where his and Eighteen's heads had collided. Fury was welling up within the fighter and he wanted nothing more than to send those junkyard rejects back to the scrapheap. Just watching as Seventeen finished recovering from his blow and move to stand behind his comrade enraged him.

"Alright you cheap pieces of trash! I'm gonna finish this once and for all!" Vegeta roared before he raced towards his opponents. Using a sudden burst of speed, the Saiyan Prince disappeared from sight, reappearing in midair right by Eighteen with both hands clasped together. Quickly, he swung a jackhammer blow at the young woman, nailing her in the side of the head and sending her flying right by the other android.

Touching down on the ground momentarily, Vegeta launched himself again, this time at Seventeen. With a swing of his fist, he threw a punch at the young man, only for him to dodge to a side.

However, Vegeta had expected that reaction. Bending one of his legs, he swung it up, imbedding his knee into the dark haired man, causing him to bend over it and lose his breath.

Taking advantaged of his opponent's momentary immobility, Vegeta gathered his ki as he leapt backwards. Thrusting both of his arms in front of him, he unleashed a blast of wind that sent Seventeen flying away, crashing to the ground close to the recovering Eighteen.

Not hesitating, Vegeta straightened out his posture, standing tall as he turned his body to a side. Keeping his head facing the Androids, he rose his hand closest to them and stiffened his fingers, the thumb curling into his palm. Throughout this action, he gathered as much of his ki and forced it to his palm.

"Say hello to Kakarot for me when you enter Hell!" the Saiyan Prince shouted. "Big Bang Attack!"

Immediately, a decent sized ki ball fired from his palm, racing towards the Androids as they paused to watch the incoming attack in astonishment until the ki ball collided with the ground between them. A large explosion consumed the two in flames.

Watching the explosions, a large smirk appeared on the Saiyan's face. Though those two machines had given him a little trouble, it was all for naught. There was nothing left of them after that strike.

Slowly, the flames died out into smoke, which eventually dissipated to reveal the extent of damage done by the Big Bang. What was once devastated city buildings and cracked street pavement was now a dirt plain with wafts of smoke drifting into the sky. Anything that had been caught in the blast had been obliterated.

All except the standing forms of Seventeen and Eighteen, undamaged from the previous attack.

"What?" Vegeta gasped, swearing that his eyes were deceiving him. There was no way those androids couldn've survived!

"I think our friend here is surprised to see us," Seventeen commented as if he were talking about the weather. "How about we go reintroduce ourselves?"

"I'll take that pleasure," Eighteen replied before walking towards the speechless Saiyan. An instant later, the young blonde was right in front of Vegeta, slamming a fist into his face that swung him around, his unguarded back facing her.

Gracefully, the Android reached out and grabbed one of her opponent's arms. Keeping a firm grip, she then spun herself around, dragging the saiyan with her before she released her hold, throwing her foe into a still standing building, one that he crashed into and broke right through the wall.

A few seconds passed before an enrage war cry was heard, followed by a cloud of smoke rushing out from the roof, Vegeta exploding from it as he flew high into the air.

Coming to a stop, Vegeta held both of his hands out in front of himself as he gathered his ki, a golden ball of energy forming in front of his palms. "Eat this!" he shouted as he fired a large ki blast.

In response, Eighteen held her ground as she watched the incoming beam closing in on her. Casually, she raised her left arm and caught the attack as he rammed into her hand. She stood, almost bored, as she held the blast easily.

Another gasp left the Saiyan Prince's lips as he witnessed this action. However, any other thoughts he had on it were interrupted as a foot slammed into his face, cutting off his ki blast as he drifted a few feet away. Recovering, he quickly saw Seventeen floating in air with one of his legs extended, the other bent at the knee, and a confident smirk on his face.

Letting out another war cry, Vegeta lunged at his opponent, only to have Seventeen counterattack, nailing him in the face with his knee. As spit and blood flew from his royal mouth, Seventeen quickly threw a devastating punch that sent the prince flying back down towards the building. A second later, his falling body created another hole in the roof and another one on the back side of the building as he impacted the ground and skidded a few yards.

Slowly, Vegeta picked himself up, pressing his hands on the ground to lift his torso up, his knees resting on the ground.

However, he wasn't quite alone. Standing a few yards away were Seventeen and Eighteen, both of them looking down at him with amusement. "Well, this has been fun," the young man commented.

"I suppose it was better than destroying buildings," his blonde counterpart relented.

Once again, anger filled the Saiyan Prince's mind. "I'll show you fun!" he roared as he pushed off the ground, charging at Eighteen. As he threw a punch at her, she merely side stepped his lunge. Bringing up her arm and bending it, she slammed her elbow into the back of Vegeta's head, causing him to let out a cry of pain as he fell back down onto the ground. Soon after, his golden aura disappeared, revealing his original black locks.

"Hmm…that's strange," Seventeen said. "His hair changed back. What do you suppose that means?"

"Not much," Eighteen replied. "I doubt it's anything important."

"That just leaves one thing left to do."

Eighteen gave a small smile. "Finish him."

Both androids raised one arm, extending their index and middle fingers, gathering their energy as their respective colored energy formed in their at their fingertips. A moment later, two small beams were fired, piercing Vegeta's body as they tore into his back and exited out his chest.

* * *

"What happened…" Gohan spoke in awe.

Floating in midair, the young Son boy looked at the scene of a great battle. Broken buildings littered the area with one large empty plain in the middle of it. Hovering nearby were Krillen and Piccolo, each one soaking in the same scene.

"Do…do you think Vegeta was involved with this?" Krillen asked a moment later, still stunned from what he saw.

"All three of us felt him fighting something," Piccolo answered, ridding himself of his previous shocked expression for his usual stoic one. Each of them had felt the Saiyan Prince's ki at an incredible high and came to investigate, running into each other as they neared the city. A little while later, they felt the Saiyan's ki disappear, causing alarm between them. "He should be nearby. We'll split up and search the area."

Neither Gohan or Krillen replied, accepting the plan of action as they descended towards the ruined ground of the city.

The amount of damage to the city was enormous, not to mention worse close up. From the area Gohan searched, he couldn't help but shudder every once in awhile. Who would want to do such destructive things?

Eventually, he came to a building that was more damaged than any of the others. Taking in its distance from the empty dirt plain, the fight had gone in this direction. Floating up into one of the holes, the young boy explored the desolate structure. It didn't take him long to find another hole that left the opposite side of the building. Using it as an exit, his eyes widen upon what he saw.

Lying in a small puddle of blood was Vegeta.

Moving quickly, Gohan ran to the Saiyan Prince's unmoving form, kneeling down next to it as he assessed the damage though it proved futile. Vegeta was dead with two holes in his body that were still leaking blood.

"Hey Gohan, did you find some—" Krillen's voice said from behind him, stopping when the monk saw the boy's discovery. "Oh Kami."

It wasn't long after that that Piccolo arrived and saw the scene. The Namek didn't say a word until Gohan said "He's dead."

Looking at the wounds of the fallen warrior, Piccolo murmured "What could've done this?"

No one answered him.


	4. Who Killed Vegeta?

Throughout the years she had known the Z warriors, Bulma had to learn to cope with worry. When ever there was a battle on the horizon, worry made a permanent residence with her. But that was the trade-off for knowing the people she knew.

With some people, it came quickly, like Goku or Yamcha. In other instances, it took awhile for her to even think about worrying about the welfare of one of them; Piccolo was one such example.

Though she never expressed it, Bulma worried about Vegeta. The man himself was a piece of work, always trying to become stronger than Goku in every way imaginable. Heck, if there was an ice cream eating contest, he'd try to out eat her good-natured friend.

Sometimes she wondered why she involved herself with him. He was rude, obnoxious, spoiled, and arrogant; yet she couldn't find it in herself to kick him to the curb. If anything, he was a constant challenge to her and just getting rid of him would've been a loss to her than a victory. And even if she did that, the man would brush it off and walk around as if he owned the place.

That wasn't the way things were with Yamcha. Yamcha would rather avoid her when she was in a bad mood and grumble about her "mood swings" to the others. Rarely did he challenger her head on.

So when Vegeta became insistent that he would rid the world of the supposedly human-looking monsters, the only thing she could do was wish him luck and wait for his return. But if there was someone that could defeat those menaces, it would most likely be him.

That didn't mean she didn't worry about his welfare. Even as strong as the Saiyan Prince was, even he could be injured and she would most likely be the one that helped him mend. That was one of the reasons she hadn't gone to bed, waiting close by the front door for that arrogant man's return.

As late night became early morning, the blue haired woman was starting to consider retiring for the remainder of the night when she heard a knock at the door. Now who could that be at this time of night? It wasn't Vegeta since he didn't ever bother knocking.

Readjusting her robe so she appeared somewhat presentable, Bulma stood up from the couch she was sitting on and walked to the door and opened it.

What she found would be engraved in her mind forever.

Standing closest to the door was Gohan and a forlorn one at that. A little ways behind him stood an equally sadden Krillen and behind him was the ever stoic Piccolo. However, none of that was what made the Capsule Corp. heiress gasp in distress. It was the lifeless body of Vegeta laying in between Gohan and Krillen that did.

Slowly, she took hesitant steps to the corpse that was the man she cared for. She didn't acknowledge any of the others even as she passed the young Gohan; her attention was solely on Vegeta. Sitting on her knees next to him, she couldn't help the tears that welled up in her eyes and spilled onto her face.

And then the dam holding her emotions broke. Releasing a sob, Bulma cried as she fell onto Vegeta's body, emptying her sorrow on his broken armor. The fighters around her gave her time for her grief, allowing her grief to be heard.

Eventually, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up through blood shot eyes, Bulma found a sympathetic Krillen looking at her. "I'm sorry…for your loss," he said.

Sniffling, she grabbed onto her bald friend's shirt, putting her face into his chest. A dampness began to grow as his shirt soaked up her tears.

She didn't know when it happened but Bulma soon found herself being set in a chair by the monk. Looking up, she found Gohan and Piccolo setting Vegeta onto a nearby couch; the one she had been sitting at before she answered the door.

Kami did she wish she hadn't answered it.

"How…how did it happen?" she asked timidly. Who knew when her emotions would break lose again.

"We don't know," Krillen answered. "Each of us felt Vegeta entering a battle and went to investigate. By the time we arrived, it was over."

Anger rose within the woman. "Why didn't you arrive sooner?" she demanded. "You could've helped him! He would still be alive if you did!"

This time, Gohan answered her. "That's the problem, Bulma; we only sensed Vegeta fighting. What ever he was fighting didn't have a ki signal. It was almost as if he was fighting a ghost."

"A ghost?" she shouted. "That's your best explanation?"

"Don't take it out on Gohan," Krillen spoke. "All we sensed was Vegeta's ki increasing dramatically. We didn't know if he was fighting or not until we arrived at the battlefield."

Bulma frowned. "You haven't heard of those monsters that have been cities recently?"

"No," Piccolo said for the first time since arriving. "Tell us about them and how they're involved with Vegeta."

Bulma blew air out of her mouth irritably. "A couple weeks ago, two monsters appeared and began destroying every city they've come across. Vegeta said he wanted to fight them."

"That sounds like Vegeta," Krillen commented. "So is that it? Is there anything else? Are there any descriptions of these monsters?"

"Only that they resemble a young man and woman."

"Two humans without kis…" Piccolo summed up. "I don't believe I've heard of such a thing."

"Perhaps they know how to hide their kis well," the monk suggested.

"I don't think so," Gohan disagreed. "They'd have to quit hiding them if they were in a fight, especially if they were fighting Vegeta."

"Good point," Piccolo agreed. "It must be something else."

"Maybe they have a cloaking device?" the Son boy suggested.

"A device that hides their ki? Can someone even make a thing?" Krillen inquired.

Bulma's eyebrow twitched at that remark. "I'm pretty sure someone could make something like that. After all, there are people called geniuses."

The monk immediately went into apology mode. "I didn't mean it that way Bulma," he said as he waved his hands in front of him. "I know you could make such a thing but I doubt other people would. Most people don't even know about ki."

That was when Gohan walked up to Bulma and put his hand on her knee. "Don't worry Bulma, we'll look into this and find who ever killed Vegeta and punish them."

The genius couldn't help but give a small smile to the boy. Her appreciation for his kind words meant much to her. "Thank you Gohan."

Soon after, the three warriors left the building, leaving Bulma to figure out what to do next. As they stood outside Capsule Corp, Piccolo said "Both of you keep your eyes and ears open for these humans. If you learn anything about them, be sure to tell me or anyone else. I'll go investigate through other channels."

Gohan and Krillen nodded their confirmation. "We will Mr. Piccolo."

"And try to avoid any confrontation with them. If they were able to take down Vegeta, they must be powerful adversaries."

"Sounds good," Krillen agreed. "I'll try to get a hold of Tien and tell him what's up. Perhaps he might have heard of something about these monsters."

"You do that," the Namek said. "I'll keep in touch."

With their plan confirmed amongst themselves, the three warriors went their separate ways.


	5. Legacy of a Madman

A week had passed since Vegeta died. A week that the world seemed to take a sigh of relief as no new attacks had occurred. Even though the Saiyan Prince had died, perhaps his death hadn't been in vain. It was possible the things he had fought had been frightened by his might and once they had killed him, retreated away from the world.

That was wishful thinking on Gohan's part.

Two days after he and his friends found Vegeta's body, they held a burial for him. It wasn't a big ceremony since the man didn't have many friends, if any. They simply dug a hole in the backyard of Capsule Corp. and laid him in it.

All the men present wore suits, including Yamcha. He may not have liked the man but even he felt some sort of respect should be paid. The women, Chichi, Bulma, and her mother, wore simple black dresses.

The only people who didn't show up were Tien and Chiaotzu. Krillen had yet to contact them; the two were proving more elusive than expected.

That result hadn't changed for the rest of the week.

Sitting at his desk, his study books spread out in front of him, Gohan leaned back into his chair, staring at the roof as he thought. From his experience, the monsters they were looking for were just waiting for the right time to strike. Unfortunately for the boy, they were taking their sweet time waiting for it. The calm before the storm his mentor would say.

In the background, he could hear the radio reporting the news. So far, nothing of importance had occurred, so it had been a slow night. The Son boy had been listening to the radio for the last few nights in hope of hearing of another attack. He didn't know whether to be relieved at the lack of activity or not.

Suddenly, the reporter on the radio took on a panicked voiced. _"Ginger Town is under attack! I repeat, Ginger Town is under attack! Anyone that lives around the area is strongly encouraged to evacuate!"_

Gohan was on his feet a second later, heading towards the front door of his house. Passing through the living room, his mother took notice of him and his lack of studying. "Gohan, where do you think you're going, young man?"

"Sorry mom, I'll be back in a bit," he replied as he left the house. Chichi didn't like that answer very much as she rushed out after him, only to see her son flying towards the horizon.

"Son Gohan, you get back here this instant!" she shouted. "It's your bedtime!"

Gohan, much to his credit, ignored his mother's shouts. There was something more important happening than making it to bed on time. Pushing himself as fast as he could, the Son boy flew past large amounts of wilderness, the scenery looking more like a blur than anything solid.

He was about halfway to Ginger Town when he was joined by Piccolo. Apparently the Namek had felt his student moving very quickly and surmised that there was only one thing that would make the boy fly like that.

Neither spoke to each other as they flew side-by-side, each knowing why they were heading in the same direction.

It seemed to take forever until the two warriors arrived at Ginger Town, looking on in disbelief at the carnage occurring there. It was almost a duplication of the scene Vegeta encountered upon his first investigation, fires raging throughout parts of the city with smoke rising into the heavens. However, there was one thing that was different with this scene.

There were still people down there.

"We have to stop this," Gohan said as he stared down at the chaotic city.

"Find the monsters and we'll give any survivors the time to get away," Piccolo responded.

Quickly, both warriors descended into the city, heading for the more destroyed part of town. Their choice to head there proved fortuitous.

A herd of terrified people were trying to escape the city but had the unfortunate luck to run right into the very monsters they were trying to avoid. The two young people looked down at them from atop debris, small smiles on their faces, and ready to slaughter the innocence with energy blasts.

Simultaneously, the couple fired their beams. Reacting quickly, Gohan raised both of his hands to his forehead, charging up his ki as quickly as he could. "Masenko Ha!" he shouted as he threw his arms out and fired his attack towards the ground between the fleeing people and the deadly energy blasts.

His aim proved true as the Masenko collided with the beams, causing an explosion that neutralized all three attacks. The force of the detonation sent the people closest to it flying off their feet and crashing to the ground a far distance away. It didn't take long after that for those bystanders to get back to their feet and continue running.

Landing on the ground in front of the killers, Gohan and Piccolo faced their foes, ready for combat.

A young man with black hair was the first to address them. "Who are you two?"

"I believe that's our question," Piccolo replied, his stoic expression in full gear.

It only took a moment for the man to recognize the Namek, though he didn't show any outward emotion. "According to my database, I believe you're the one called Piccolo, am I right?"

The Namekian didn't reply.

Turning his attention to the Son boy next to him, the man said "And this must be Son Gohan, son of Son Goku."

Though shocked, Gohan kept his face as emotionless as his mentor. If Piccolo didn't see any reason to reply to them, then he wouldn't either.

"Looks like cat's got their tongues," a blonde woman said, entering the conversation for the first time. "At least Vegeta spoke to us."

That made both warriors widen their eyes. "You're the ones that killed Vegeta!" Gohan exclaimed.

"So they do talk, or at least one of them," the man replied. "Yes, we're the ones that killed the Saiyan Prince."

"And what do we call you," Piccolo spoke up.

"You can call me Seventeen," the boy replied. "And she's Eighteen."

"Interesting names. Any significance behind them?"

Seventeen shrugged his shoulders. "We're just the seventeenth and eighteenth cybernetic models of Dr. Gero."

"Androids," Gohan said. "No wonder we couldn't sense them; they don't have ki."

"So there's no way to know how strong they are unless we fight them," Piccolo surmised. "Think you can handle it?"

"You can count on me."

Both androids look at each other and nodded, then turn their heads to look at their new opponents. "I hope they're just as entertaining as the other guy," Eighteen commented.

"Only one way to find out."

At once, both androids launched themselves at Piccolo and Gohan, the two of them dropping into defensive stances.

For a moment, it looked like each one was going to attack separate opponents until the last moment when both angled towards Piccolo.

Charging first, Seventeen used a burst of speed to disappear right in front of the Namekian, catching him by surprise. This allowed Eighteen to swoop in and slam her knee into his gut, causing him to bend over as he lost his breath.

That was when Seventeen appeared right behind him and wrapped an arm around the green man's neck, his hand grabbing his onto his bicep as his other hand put pressure onto Piccolo's head and commenced choking him. The only thing the Namek could do was grab the arm around his neck and try to remove it, the action proving fruitless.

"Piccolo!" Gohan cried as he moved to help him.

However, Eighteen got in front of him, impeding his support. "And what do you plan on doing, little boy?" she said mockingly.

Lunging at her, the Son boy threw a punch at her face, which she blocked effortlessly. With her other hand, she balled it into a fist and slammed it into his gut, knocking the wind out of him as he drifted backwards, clutching his stomach.

Dashing forward, Eighteen drew back her leg and swung it, her kick nailing Gohan in the head and sending him flying towards a nearby building.

As veins dotted his eyes, Piccolo felt urgency coursing through him. Gohan wouldn't stand a chance if he didn't help him and he couldn't do that if he let this inhuman…thing choke the life out of him. Making sure he had good footing, he put as much strength in his legs as he could, bending over as Seventeen left the ground, laying on top of the Namek's back. Pushing off the ground, Piccolo forced the two of them to collide head first into the pavement.

His maneuver proved successful as he felt the hand on the back of his head leave, most likely to grasp the android's head or so he hoped. Flaring his ki, he shot his aura all around him, causing Seventeen to lose his hold around his neck and fly away.

Getting back to his feet, the Namekian charged at Eighteen, who was turning to look right at him after feeling the affects of his earlier release of ki. Letting out a war cry, the Namek pulled back an arm, ready to attack his opponent.

In response, Eighteen held up an arm, a light pinkish ball of energy forming in her palm. Firing it, the beam raced towards its target.

Jerking himself out to the way as the blast passed dangerously close, Piccolo continued his current course as he charged up his ki and forced it to his eyes, firing thin eyebeams at his blonde foe.

Leaping up into the air, the Android dodged the twin beams as they flew beneath her. It was at this point that Gohan came flying back into the fray, both hands clasped together. A moment later, he was right behind his target and swung the blow, jackhammering Eighteen on the head and sending her to the ground.

Before either Piccolo or Gohan could pounce on their advantage on the Android, however, a pinking light began to illuminate around her. "Enough of that!" she shouted as an explosion of energy blew both fighters away, Piccolo landing a small distance away on the ground and Gohan high into the air.

Recovering, the Son boy shook off the affects of the blast, only to see Seventeen floating nearby, his arms crossed over his chest with a small smirk on his face. "Hey kid, wanna try me out?"

Gritting his teeth, the demi-saiyan charged at his new opponent, launching a barrage of punches at him, the Android blocking them easily in response. Throughout this, Seventeen never lost his smirk, even when he decided to end the exchange.

As Gohan threw a punch, the dark haired android easily caught it. Not one to give up easily, the Son boy threw his other fist at him, which was also caught.

With a leg drawn back, Seventeen swung it forward, landing a knee to the boy's stomach. Unfortunately for the young boy, the knee landed right where Eighteen had punched him earlier, causing an even stronger wave of pain to flood his system.

As the Android stared at the painful expression on his opponent's face, he caught movement out of the corner of his eyes. Getting a better look, he saw Piccolo charging at him, most likely to save the Saiyan in front of him.

Allowing his smirk to grow wider, he said "Here," as he swung the Son boy towards the incoming Namek, releasing his hold on his fists, and watched as the ten year old careened towards his mentor.

Coming to a halt, Piccolo easily caught Gohan in his arms, taking note of his pupil's pained face. It looked like that blow from Seventeen had done more damage than he expected, much to his chagrin. However, before he could do anything, Eighteen appeared right behind him, holding her arms out in front of her. A moment later, she fired an energy blast.

As the beam ran into him, Piccolo couldn't help the scream that left his lips, his cape and mantle being torn apart from the blast. The Namek fell out of the sky with a trail of smoke following him, holding tightly onto the boy in his arms.

Regardless of his protective hold, the fighters crashed into the ground, causing both of them to let out more cries of pain. Breathing heavily, Piccolo slowly looked up just in time to see the two Androids landing a small distance away from them.

"Well, that was disappointing," Eighteen commented dryly. "This wasn't as much fun as the last time."

"Well what did you expect? They're both weaker than the last guy," Seventeen replied.

The blonde shrugged. "Let's just get rid of them. I'd rather not look at them any more."

"As you wish."

Suddenly, a cry of "Destructo Disk!" was shouted, followed by a bright yellow disk closing in on them. Reacting immediately, both androids leapt out of the way as the disk passed them. However, Seventeen had jumped a little too late as the attack cut through his pant leg before flying away. The disk flew right into a building some distance away, lopping off the top as it flew away, the top of the severed building falling off and crashing to the ground.

"Who did that?" Seventeen shouted, his rage evident. His favorite pair of pants had been ripped along with a bleeding cut on his leg. That wasn't something he was happy about, though Eighteen seemed to get a kick out of it as she laughed at him.

"Hahaha! Look at you! Your leg's cut!" the blonde laughed, pointing her finger at her companion.

"Yeah, I know," the young man stated irritably. "And when I find the guy who did it, I'll twist his head off like a bottle cap!"

That was when Krillen appeared, landing in between the Androids and his comrades. "Piccolo! Close your eyes!" he shouted, the Namekian doing as he was told.

Raising his hands to his head, two fingers from each hand extended, the monk shouted "Solar Flare!" just as the two machines turned to look at him. As the blinding light exploded from the bald man, both androids got an eyeful of it, causing them to scream in pain as they held their heads.

It took awhile for them to recover form the unexpected attack, but when they could see again, their opponents were nowhere to be found.

* * *

I knew I forgot to do something with the last chapter. Had a couple of anonymous reviewers that I meant to reply to and my head went to a very dark place instead. Don't ask where.

To A-man: Thanks.

To brenthforever: I'm still impressed you read this story on a phone screen.


	6. Escape to Kame House

I have some very diligent readers here lol. Some of you have commented saying that you're reading this story off of your phone screens and I'm amazed you're able to do so. That has to be difficult considering how small those screens are. I appreciate the effort though, and would like to commend you on your dedication. Hope you continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

They waited in the ruins of Ginger Town, hiding in a nearby building. Krillen had kept lookout until the Androids had flown off.

"So how is he?" the monk asked Piccolo, who sat crossed legged next to the injured demi-saiyan.

"A couple broken ribs and a fractured sternum," the Namek replied. "Those androids were stronger than we thought. Lucky for us that you showed up when you did. Otherwise we'd be joining Vegeta in the dirt."

"No problem," Krillen said. "So what do we do now? Seems to me those androids were interested with the way you could stand up to them unlike their regular victims."

"You're right about that. But right now, we need to get Gohan to a place he can recover. If I had a senzu bean, I'd give it to him."

"Then why don't I go to Korin's?" the bald monk suggested. "I'll even get some for future battles."

Piccolo shook his head. "Bad idea. Those androids are still out there and we don't want to risk any of us running into them."

"Right. But we can't stay here either."

Piccolo fell into a silence as he thought. Finally, he said "They recognized Gohan, so taking him home would be a bad idea. That would be the first place they'd look for him if they wanted to hunt him down. Kame House would be a better place to hide him."

Krillen nodded his head. "Sounds good. When we get back to the island, I'll call Chichi to tell her Gohan's okay and he's spending a couple days with me. I don't think telling her that her son is hurt would be a good idea."

The Namekian shrugged. "Do what ever you see fit. For now, go check to make sure those androids aren't hanging around. We'll get moving when we're sure they're gone."

The bald monk again nodded his head before leaving the building, keeping an eye out for their hunters. After some time past, he gave the all clear and the two of them flew from the ruined city, Piccolo carrying Gohan in his arms protectively. They kept low to the ground until they felt they were safe, only then putting on more speed once they were sure.

An hour later, the two warriors arrived at Kame House, immediately entering the pink house and setting Gohan down on the couch. Krillen disappeared down a hallway before returning with a blanket, which he covered the unconscious Son boy with.

It was then that the Turtle Hermit entered the room and got a good look at Piccolo. "Piccolo, what happened to you?"

The Namek ignored the old man, leaving the monk to answer for him. "He and Gohan got into a fight with the guys that killed Vegeta. As you can see, they didn't exact win."

Roshi nodded his head as his eyes fell on Gohan. "These must be powerful fighters if they could beat these two."

"Yeah," Krillen agreed as he raised his arms and intertwined his fingers behind his head. "Vegeta was even a Super Saiyan and didn't stand a chance."

"He was what?" Piccolo snapped as he looked at the monk. "Since when?"

A little fear leaked into the monk's voice. "A-awhile ago. Bulma told me after his service that he finally managed to reach the level. I thought she was mistaken but she kept insisting about it."

The Namekian growled. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"What difference does it make?" Roshi interrupted. "That's in the past and you've managed to survive your battle. Right now we need to focus on regrouping and deciding our next move, got it?"

Grudgingly, Piccolo agreed. "Fine. Krillen, get a hold of Tien and Yamcha and have them come here. I need to do something that'll take about three days and I want everyone here ready to go when I get back, understand?"

The bald man nodded his head. "You got it."

Once the Namekian left the house, Krillen and Roshi turned their attention to the sleeping boy on their couch. "Well, I suppose we need to call his mother and tell her we're keeping Gohan over for a couple of days," the hermit said.

Krillen stiffened at that. He still remembered the last time he had to give a message to Chichi and that hadn't been a pleasurable experience. Though that time he was suppose to tell her about her husband dying and her son being kidnapped by the Earth's strongest villain.

But how would she take hearing her son injured?

"Well, I think we're out of ice and we'll need some to help keep the swelling down on Gohan's injuries so I'm gonna go get some," Krillen spoke, making a beeline for the door.

"Hey! You can't leave!" Roshi protested. "Get back here!"

"Don't worry, I'm sure you can handle it. Just don't mention about him being injured."

"You want me to lie to Chichi? The world's most protective mom?"

"Hey, it should be no problem for you. Good luck!"

"Hey, I'm your teacher! You should be the one that makes this call!"

"All the more reason you should be the one to do it."

"But what about the Androids? They could catch you while you're out there!"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. I'll be off now; bye!" And with that, Krillen made his escape, taking off into the night.

The Turtle Hermit slumped his shoulders. Sent to the lions by his own student; he needed more faithful apprentices. His current crop would be the death of him at this rate.

Taking a moment to mentally prepare himself, he went to the phone and dialed the number for the Son residence. A couple rings went by before a slightly distressed voice answered "Son residence; Son Chichi speaking."

"Hey Chichi!" Roshi greeted as friendly as he could. "How ya been?"

A soft growl came over the line, making the old man gulp. "Oh, I'm just fantastic! My only son just decided to take off in the middle of the night and hasn't come home. He's probably hanging around with those delinquent friends of his rather than be in bed. I mean, I'm only his mother for cryin' out loud!"

A sweatdrop began to slide down Roshi's head. Putting hand on the back of his head, he said "Well about that, Krillen ran into Gohan on his way from…picking up groceries! Yeah, groceries. Saw that the boy seemed a bit tired and brought him over here for the night."

The Hermit heard silence for awhile before he had to jerk the phone away from his ear as Chichi screamed "YOU PUT MY BABY ON THE PHONE RIGHT NOW, YOU DIRTY OLD MAN OR KAMI HELP ME I'LL—"

"Now calm down Chichi, the boy's already in bed. He was practically asleep when Krillen brought him home. Let's just let him sleep."

The Son woman was huffing and puffing for a good five seconds before she took in a deep breath and seemed to calm down. "Well, at least he's safe, I suppose," she relented. "But you better not show him any of you magazine collection or I'll rip your head off! BOTH OF THEM! DO YOU HEAR ME PERVERT?"

"Yeah, I hear you loud and clear, Chichi," Roshi replied. Damn, that woman was more paranoid than a corrupt politician. Wait, what did she mean by both heads? He only had one that he was aware of…

Oh wait…she meant that head. Dear Kami was she ruthless.

"Good. Have a good night and be sure to have Gohan call me when he wakes up."

"You got it," the Hermit said before hanging the phone up. Sighing, he leaned up against a nearby wall before sliding down it until he was sitting on the floor. There was no way he'd be the bearer of any kind of news for that woman. He probably lost a couple years off his life just talking to her.

That was when the other resident of the house entered the room. "How did it go, Master Roshi?" the large turtle known as Turtle asked.

"Oh, as well as it could," he responded. "Remind me to change my underwear when I can get up. I think I may have soiled myself."

* * *

To punisher: You don't have to worry about me dropping this story. I intend on finishing it but not after a looooong while.


	7. Guardian's Refusal

The wind roared around him as he flew at top speed. The scenery around him was just a blur, not that he cared. He knew exactly where he was going and taking in the sights was very low on his list of priorities.

Krillen's revelation about Vegeta had been eye-opening for Piccolo. A Super Saiyan had already fallen at the hands of these two mechanical nightmares. As much training as he had had during since Goku's death, he was barely even a threat to the Saiyan's power when he had first became one on Namek. He didn't know what kind of training Vegeta had undergone to finally reach the level, but what ever it was, it wouldn't be able to help him.

At this point, nothing really did.

That didn't mean he was without a plan; he did have one. It was just something he didn't look forward to, especially with what it entailed. He had been putting this off since the day he was born and if he had it his way, it wouldn't have been an option ever.

And there it was. A tall totem pole stuck out of the ground and reached high into the heavens. Altering his course, he headed up the column known as Korin's Tower.

However, as he approached the midway point, he saw the white cat waving at him with his staff, signaling for his attention. Narrowing his eyes, he came to a stop in front of him.

"How's it goin' Piccolo," Korin addressed him. "Wasn't expecting a visit from you."

The Namekian growled. "You're the one that stopped me, cat. Tell me what you want before I leave."

"Straight to the point," Korin said. "I had a feeling you'd be coming here sooner or later. Been keeping up with all the comings and going, ya know."

"Get…on…with...it."

Korin stared at the former demon king. "Here," was all he said as he tossed a small brown bag at him, Piccolo catching it. "I thought you might need these."

Piccolo just nodded his head in thanks before lifting off.

"Good luck," he heard the cat say, though he didn't acknowledge it. There were more important things that needed to be done.

It wasn't long after that he got to the place he detested the most. Kami's Lookout…ugh. It was because of that floating palace he hung out in the wilderness. Any building structure that a city possessed always reminded him of this place, which was a big reason why he kept away from them unless it was absolutely necessary to enter one. One would assume it was because he was an alien and a very obvious looking one at that. He didn't care about such things in all honesty; he knew plenty of people who weren't bothered with his appearances.

Even though those people were only a handful.

Flying pass the edge of the Lookout, the Namek focused his power and allowed it to settle all around his body. In an instant, his familiar mantle and turban were on his frame, just in time too as he landed upon the cool tile of the Lookout.

Looking out in front of him, Piccolo stared right at the man he was looking for. Kami, the Namek older than dirt, stared back at him as his assistant, Mr. Popo, looked on from behind him.

"Okay, I'll make this short," Piccolo said, trying to suppress the disgust he held for the old man. "You know why I'm here."

"Indeed," Kami replied. "I've been watching."

"I'm sure you have."

Finally breaking their staring contest, Kami walked towards the edge of the lookout, staring off into the clouds below them. "I always wondered when this day would come," he admitted. "When that man called Frieza arrived here for revenge on Goku, I was almost certain you would come here to retrieve the power we once wielded."

Piccolo scowled. "I'd rather not have anything to do with you, old man. In fact, I'd rather kill you where you stand and I would if it didn't mean killing myself in the process."

"I'm glad you still worry about your own survival."

"Shut up!" the younger Namek shouted. "Just give me what I want!"

Kami turned his head to look at the man. "And what is it you want?"

"Power, of course!"

"Is that so?" the older Namek said, disbelieving. "Or is it the fact that you're frightened; frightened of this new evil that graces this planet."

For once, Piccolo backed down, looking away from his older half. "You've got it all wrong," he muttered.

"Do I? I know you're scared, Demon King, as am I. But then, I don't think you're scared about your own well-being. I sense it is another you fear for. Could it be Son Goku's—"

"Stop it!" Piccolo shouted. "Quit looking into my mind! I'm tired of your games. Just give me the power already!"

"No."

"NO?" the Namekian roared. "How can you refuse? Those androids will tear apart this planet if you don't! Or are you so bitter about how much stronger than you I've become that you'd rather see Earth reduced to rubble?"

Kami shook his head, a small smile on his lips. "That is not my reason. I'm sure the power we'd wield would be able to defeat them easily." He signed. "I'm quite aware that there's a gap between our strengths. As you grow stronger in your youth, I weaken in my old age. I won't deny that I'm a bit jealous about that." A stern expression covered his face then. "But I refuse to give an evil man the strength to defeat a lesser evil."

"It's finally happened; you've finally gone senile," Piccolo scoffed.

"Not at all. My mind could not be any clearer," Kami replied. "In order for me to merge with you, you must show pure intent. With my own two eyes I wish to see your need to fight for someone other than yourself. Only then will I give you what you seek."

"Pure…have you forgotten old man? I'm pure evil. Never forget that."

"Then you will never have the power," Kami said simply.

Piccolo scowled. Slowly, he began to hover in midair as he crossed his arms and legs. "Fine then. I'll just wait right here until you come to your senses."

"Then you're in for a long wait."

"We'll see."

* * *

His chest hurt. A lot. And it was cold. Why was it cold? These were the thoughts that greeted Gohan when he awoke.

Opening his eyes, the Son boy found himself lying on a couch, a blanket on top of him along with a bag of ice. At least that explained why he was cold.

"Hey, looks who's up everyone."

He knew that voice. Sounded like Master Roshi, but what was he doing away from his island?

As he took in his surroundings, he found that Roshi was right where he usually was and that the Son boy was actually at his place. That at least explained the hermit's presences.

Looking down at him were Krillen, Yamcha, and Oolong, each one with a grin on their face. "How ya doing, kiddo?" Yamcha asked him.

"I feel like I got hit by a train," Gohan answered, causing the others to laugh.

"Well, you got a couple broken ribs, so I can't imagine you're comfortable," Krillen updated him, causing the boy to wince. At least he knew all of the answers to his questions.

"How did I end up here?" he spoke up. This time, the men around him dropped their grins.

"You don't remember fighting the Androids, do you?" Krillen asked.

It was then memories of the battle flooded the young boy's mind. Images of the two twin terrors and their awesome might flashed before his eyes. "What happened?" he exclaimed. "Who won? Did Piccolo beat them? Where is he? Is he okay?"

It was Roshi who answered him this time. "You two fought valiantly but failed. Krillen barely managed to get to you two before they killed you. You've been asleep since you were brought here. Piccolo left soon after. Said he had something to do."

Gohan clenched his fists, grasping the blanket as he did so. "I'm sorry guys. If only I were stronger."

"Hey, I wouldn't say that," Yamcha piped up. "You survived the battle; that's more than I can say about Vegeta."

Suddenly, a small mime floated out of the kitchen. To say the Son boy was surprised to Chiaotsu would've been an understatement. "Hey Tien! Gohan's up!" he shouted in his high pitched voice.

A moment later, heavy footsteps could be heard climbing down the stairs. Soon, the figure of Tien appeared, the bald man looking at the young demi-saiyan. "That's a relief," he said.

"When did those two get here?" Gohan asked, completely stunned.

"They got here just before you woke up," Krillen answered. "I must say, you have good timing when it comes to waking up."

That was when Roshi spoke up, his tone very serious. "Gohan, we need to talk about something."

Turning his head, Gohan asked "About what?"

"It's about your mother. You need to call and tell her that you'll be staying here for a couple days."

The Son boy gulped. That wasn't going to be a very pleasant phone call.

* * *

Piccolo's deadline was approaching. The gathered Z warriors had spent their time preparing for battle much like the time Vegeta and Nappa had arrived.

Gohan's call to Chichi had gone a bit smoother than he had expected. After she wailed about how worried she was, despite knowing he was in somewhat trustworthy hands, the Son boy made up an excuse to hang around Kame House. Luckily, he had the brilliant idea that he needed to repay Master Roshi for his hospitality by performing chores for him. Though reluctant at first, his mother gave in, sighing about how responsible he was becoming.

He didn't argue that sentiment.

The wait was killing the young boy though. When was Mr. Piccolo coming back? He couldn't sit in one spot forever, especially knowing that innocent people were getting hurt.

It was during his fretting that he faintly heard two feet setting down on the porch outside. A second later, the door opened, revealing his Namekian mentor in all his splendor, a small brown bag in his hand.

There was something different about him, Gohan noted. He seemed calmed, an emotion that the Son boy didn't normally associate with the man. Piccolo usually walked with a deep-seeded anger, one that had been diminishing over the years, but was still very visible. For the first time since he met him, there wasn't a sign of anger in his body.

With a clear voice, completely composed, he said "It's time."

* * *

To punisher: I don't know if you can completely blame Chichi for Gohan's studying. She had a part to play sure, but it takes two to tango. If Gohan wanted to train, he would've found a way to do so instead of slacking off. But she won't be too involved in the story, I think. A presence certainly, but not all encompassing.


	8. Orange Star Attack

Men dressed in workout clothes roamed about the room. There were some lifting weights, some resting, and others stretching their muscles in preparation of a decent workout. This was an everyday scene at this dojo to Videl.

As of now, the dark-haired girl was watching with delight as her father replaced the weight bar, both ends holding a hundred pounds. Hercule Satan was the strongest man in the world, she thought. She was sure he would win the upcoming World Martial Arts Tournament with flying colors.

And Videl couldn't wait for the moment her father lifted up that championship belt.

"That's amazing," a blonde girl said in awe. Erasa, her best friend since diapers, had practically begged the Satan girl to be brought into Satan Dojo. Said that she wanted to see the strongest man in the world train his body to perfection.

Okay, that was more of something Sharpner would say, but that had been the gist of it. Speaking of which, the blond boy was also there, watching her father with adoring eyes.

It had been easier than she thought when she asked her father to let her friends in. Her first thoughts were of Hercule denying the request because he wanted his training to be secret. He surprised her though, when he gave her his approval to bring them along. His fans needed to be reminded that he never rested on his quest to be number 1, or so his reasoning went.

That didn't matter to Videl though. She was just happy she could watch him in his glory with her friends as witnesses.

"Hyahhhhhhh!" Hercule roared as he stood up from the bench, flexing his biceps. This brought cheering from the three kids. "So what did you think of that, Sweatpea?" he called to her.

"Awesome Daddy!" she shouted at him.

Hercule nodded. "You and your friends have been very good today, so I'm gonna give you all a treat. It's time to do a spar."

All three children shout their approval of this idea. Smirking, the man walked towards a door and slid it open, the kids following quickly after him. "Let's see who'll be my next victim," the man boasted.

He never got the chance to find out.

A slight tremor rocked the dojo, causing all of the weights to rattle where they rested; some of them falling off the racks and crashing into the ground.

"Was that an earthquake?" Hercule inquired, turning to the rest of the men in the room. Most shrugged, indicating their lack of knowledge, while others went to investigate. It was a few minutes later that a man came running in panicked.

"Bombs are going off on the north side of the city!" the man cried, just as the dull sounds of an explosion made itself known.

Rushing out of the room, Hercule ran out of the building and looked towards the north, paling at what he saw. After him, many of the men along with the children piled out to see what was going on.

Clouds of smoke rose to the sky at the far side of town, flames erupting every so often. If their eyes weren't deceiving them, it seemed the explosions were expanding in all directions, almost as if they were trying to cover the entire city.

Suddenly, Videl felt her father grab her arm and pulled her back into the building, his other hand pulling Erasa as another man followed with Sharpner. Before she knew it, a rug on the floor had been removed, revealing a small door there. Releasing his grip on Erasa and his daughter, Hercule pulled the door up and leapt into it, shouting a couple seconds later for the men to drop the children in.

One by one, Videl, Erasa, and Sharpner were lowered through the doorway and into the arms of Hercule. Looking around, they could see what looked like a bomb shelter all around him. Soon after, the place was filled with the men at the dojo and the door above them shut.

"Daddy, what's going on?" Videl said sounding scared.

"Don't worry, Sweatpea," her father assured her. "I don't know what's going on, but the explosions up there won't get us down here. We're just gonna sit tight until we're sure everything has calmed down up there."

The Satan girl nodded her head as she hugged onto the man. "We're gonna be okay down here?"

"You bet, Sweetie. Nothing is gonna happen to us down here."

* * *

Screams cried out as an explosion incinerated the people in close proximity to it. Whizzing though the air, energy blasts decimated the structures they targeted. Anyone that wasn't hit by the beams or burnt to a crisp by the following explosions ran for their lives.

Not that they got very far.

"10 points for a person, five for a building!" Seventeen shouted as he fired a blast.

"How about a car?" Eighteen called out, sounding as if she were asking for a weather forecast.

"One."

"With people in it?"

Seventeen grinned. "Fifteen then."

"Good," Eighteen said, just as one of her energy blasts nailed a speeding car, killing its occupants as it flipped through the air.

The dark-haired android watched as the burning vehicle flip around before crashing to the ground. "How many do you think were in there?" he asked.

"Three or four I suppose. Can't really tell since they're burning."

Suddenly, a couple police cars came flying in, their sirens blaring. Coming to a stop, the policemen dove out of their cars, pulling out their guns, and aiming them at the Androids. "Stop where you are!" one of the men shouted. "If you do not stop, we will open fire!"

"Bluffing?" Eighteen asked.

"Might as well find out."

Mockingly, the two nightmares took steps towards the men in blue.

"Fire!" someone shouted, bullets flying soon after.

To their dismay, the cops watched as their gunfire bounced off their targets, no bullet wounds appearing on their bodies. Even as they continued firing, their efforts provided the same results.

Suddenly, Seventeen disappeared from sight. Before any of the police knew, one of their own had been nailed in the head by the young man's foot, sending him flying head first into a building. His body broke though the cement wall, stopping him soon after as only his legs stuck out.

With their attention on Seventeen, they policemen never saw Eighteen charge up an energy blast and fire it at on of the cars, causing it to explode and kill the men next to it.

Seventeen followed his companion's example and fired his own blast at a nearby car, receiving the same result. The two androids made short work of the men in blue soon after, taking their time as he blew burning holes through their bodies.

"Hey Eighteen, look at this," the young man shouted out as he removed the belt from one of the dead cops. Putting it around his own waist, the Android couldn't help but feel excited with the occupied gun holster at his side. "What do you think?"

Eighteen rolled her eyes. "Men," she sighed. "Why in the world would you want a gun? Are you feeling inadequate?"

"Ha, ha, very funny," Seventeen scowled. "For your information, I always wanted one of these."

"What ever you say," his counterpart replied, rolling her eyes.

Jerking around, Seventeen fired an energy blast at a building and watched as a big explosion destroy the buildings next to it. "I believe I've taken the lead."

"Hey! No fair!"

* * *

It had come on the radio moments before. The moment the words "Orange Star City was under attack", the Z warriors had taken flight, heading straight for the city in distress.

Flying slightly behind Piccolo, Gohan couldn't help but notice his mentor's increased speed. He had always been fast, faster than him even on his bad days, but now it was as if he was keeping his speed closer to the others, so as to not let them fall far behind.

This was just another odd thing the Son boy had noticed. After he had received a senzu bean, he had done everything he could to keep an eye on the Namek. Everything about him screamed "different" even as the others assumed that nothing had changed. The young boy had spent more than six months with the man in the wilderness and was very sensitive to his mannerisms. Something had happen to him, something that had changed him. Right now, it was becoming evident that these changes included a power up as well.

The mainland came into sight. Altering their course slightly, they headed towards the northwest.

"Geez, Piccolo's gotten fast," Krillen commented.

"No kidding," Tien agreed. "I wonder where he went. I doubt he was just training for the past three days."

So they noticed the power increase too. At least he wasn't imagining it. Still, what could he have done? It was driving him crazy trying to figure it out.

(Don't worry about it) a voice said into his head.

Gohan jumped slightly. (Is that you, Piccolo?)

(You got it. Stop trying to figure out my power increase. I'll tell you all about it when we finish off the Androids)

(Ye-yeah) he replied. So Piccolo knew his thoughts. Well, it was probably for the better. He couldn't afford to be distracted by them when he fought the Androids again.

This time, they would come out successful.

* * *

To A-man: Piccolo lost some anger but not that much to be noticeable. At least that was the impression I got from reading the manga. Most of his character change occurred after his fusion with Kami, otherwise he wouldn't have stayed on the lookout after the Cell Games. True there was Dende, but Piccolo detested the lookout to the point of never going until he had no choice. Plus there was a tension between him and Kami that bordered on hostility, so any dramatics, I think, could be forgiven. I don't believe Kami would've given his life and power to Piccolo if he thought he would stay a threat to Earth.


	9. Fallen

The city was in ruin by the time they arrived. Desolate buildings surrounded the group of warriors as they landed. Remains of bodies were scattered every so often, giving them a chilling reminder that life had once thrived here. About the only good thing they could think of was the people on the outskirts had managed to flee to safety. They had seen the herds of panicked humans heading in all directions as they flew overhead.

"This is terrible," Yamcha spoke up.

"This isn't the time to take in the sights," Piccolo said. "We all need to stay on guard in case the Androids appear."

"Do you suppose they're talking about us?"

Startled, the Z warriors jerked around to look at a building lying on its side, Androids Seventeen standing and Eighteen sitting on it as they looked down at them.

"They must be," Seventeen answered. "There's not any other androids destroying this city that I'm aware of."

"I guess we need to greet them," Eighteen said.

Each warrior fell into a defensive stance, Piccolo excluded. He remained in a relaxed stance, his expression emotionless.

"Seems they're looking for a fight," the young man commented.

"They do, don't they?"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that was rude. Shall we show them what we do to rude people?"

"Uh huh."

It went faster than any of them could see. One moment the Androids were idly chatting, the next they each had a hand up, their index fingers extended. A small explosion told them all that they had fired energy blasts; the disappearance of a ki told them the explosion had killed someone.

Almost as if someone had put them in slow motion, they all turned their heads to see the burnt body of Chiaotsu falling to the ground, lifeless. Looks of horror crawled onto their faces except for Tien's. His held a mixture of despair and hatred.

"You fiends!" the bald man shouted as he turned to charge the Androids. He wasn't able to go though, as Piccolo's hand grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Stay here," the Namekian stated, walking by the enraged human. "I'll handle this."

"Didn't you see what they did to Chiaotsu?" Tien shouted. "They killed him right in front of us and you want me to stay put? No! I won't do it!"

"If you want to die, go do it somewhere else," Piccolo snapped. "Now's not the time. You and I both know you're not strong enough to beat them; so for now, I'll be the one to fight them."

For a moment, Tien looked like he was going to ignore the Namekian's argument, but finally backed down. "Just kill those things, understand?"

Piccolo just nodded as he turned to look back at the Androids, who had taken the time to descend to the ground. "So you think you stand a chance against us, huh?" Seventeen spoke, clearly amused.

"More than a chance," Piccolo replied as he removed his mantle and cape, his turban following shortly. "It's a guarantee."

"Funny. Unless I'm remembering it wrong, you couldn't lay a finger on us, much less beat us. Or am I wrong?"

Nothing but silence answered the dark-haired android.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Z warriors hesitantly gave their comrade more space, drifting across a plain of broken concrete and asphalt.

Simultaneously, the two androids charged at Piccolo, racing towards him as dust kicked up behind him.

Before they reached him though, Piccolo used a burst of speed to disappear, reappearing as his bent knee slammed right into Seventeen's face, sending him flying back the way he came and into the fallen building.

Slowing down her momentum, Eighteen swung a kick at the Namekian, becoming surprised as Piccolo easily turned to catch her leg with both of his hands. Jerking, the Namek swung the blonde above his head before swinging her downwards on his opposite side, Eighteen slamming into the ground and causing the asphalt to break and crumble around her.

Gohan's eyes widened, along with the rest of the Z warriors. Where had this power come from? The last time Piccolo had fought the Androids, they had tossed him around like a toy. Now things had completely 180ed.

"What power," Tien spoke softly. "I've never seen Piccolo this strong."

"No kidding," Yamcha agreed. "Maybe he'll beat these guys and we'll be on our way home."

Meanwhile, as the Namek in question released his hold on Eighteen's leg, he caught a bright light from the corner of his eye. Stiffening the fingers of his closest hand, the thumb curled into the palm, Piccolo turned his torso and slapped away an energy blast. That was when he saw Seventeen racing towards him to commence another attack.

Bringing his arm down, he relaxed it as he gathered his ki into it. As Seventeen closed in on him, he thrust it out and shouted "Mokosen Ha!" A bright energy blast fired from his hand shortly after.

Reacting, the dark haired android crossed his arms in front of his face, just as the blast hit him. The subsequent explosion caught him off guard though, as flames covered his body.

Suddenly, Eighteen flew off the ground and slammed a punch into the Namek's face, sending him stumbling away.

Landing back on the ground, blonde android quickly charged up her energy as she raised both of her arms up. A moment later, she began firing a barrage of light pink energy blasts. The beams immediately detonated on Piccolo, sending flames all over his body until he could hardly be seen.

Soon, Eighteen ceased her firing, staring into the rising cloud of smoke she had helped create. As time wore on, a small smile crawled onto her face.

That was when a hand exploded from the smoke cloud, the hand balled into a fist as the arm behind it extended to inhuman lengths. Surprised, Eighteen didn't raise her defenses, allowing the fist to nail her in the face and send her flying away.

After she had covered some distance, Eighteen managed to recover herself, stopping her flight soon after. Before she could do anything though, Piccolo appeared right in front of her and unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks that sent her body jerking around from the blows.

It was during this attack that Piccolo had forgotten Seventeen, his focus solely on the girl android before him. He quickly remembered him when the youth landed a jackhammer blow to the back of his head, the android himself floating in midair behind him.

As his body bent down from the blow, the Namek quickly recovered and swung his upper body back up, the back of his head colliding with Seventeen's face, stunning him.

However, Eighteen had recovered from the earlier exchange and aimed an arm towards the Namekian's feet. With a quick charge of energy, she fired a blast from her hand, the beam exploding at Piccolo's feet, sending up a smokescreen of smoke and dust.

As the smoke rose to the sky, Piccolo appeared high in the air, looking down at the cloud. The Androids were down there somewhere; it was only a matter of time until they came out.

As time passed, the Namek knew something was wrong. They should've been attacking him now. That meant they were either hiding or weren't even in the smokescreen below. Looking up, his eyes caught sight of Seventeen flying towards him, one of his arms held out in front of him with the other behind him. The closer he got though, he began drifting to aside. That was when Eighteen, in the same pose, drifted in the opposite direction, creating a doppelganger effect as they charged in.

Swearing at the last moment, Piccolo raised both of his arms just in time as the twin androids unleashed a flurry of punches at him. Blocking and dodging each blow was all the warrior could do for the moment.

Suddenly, Seventeen pulled away, leaving Eighteen to press the attack. That made it a bit more manageable until she pulled away, allowing Seventeen to swoop back in and continue assault.

It was when the Androids switched places again that Piccolo caught onto their tactic. They were trying to wear him down while they kept themselves fresh. Cunning, but he was more perceptive than the average fighter.

Allowing Eighteen to continue pressing the attack, the Namek waited for the two to switch places when he put a stop to their strategy. As Seventeen came in, Piccolo gathered his ki into his mouth and fired a ki blast, catching the android off guard in the process. He still managed to dodge the blast though, using his momentum to move to the side as the beam passed by.

Taking advantage of the lapse, Piccolo charged in. However, Eighteen intercepted him as she flew in legs first, one of her feet nailing him in the head. The maneuver sent the Namek flying away, yet the Androids didn't give chase, choosing to float in midair as they waited for their green opponent to recover.

And that was what Piccolo did, stopping his flight as he looked at the two. Something was up; neither of them ever gave up a prime opportunity to strike a foe.

"You've gotten much stronger, Piccolo," Seventeen called out. "I must say, I'm impressed."

"How did you get so much power?" Eighteen inquired even as her face showed no emotion.

"That is none of your concern," Piccolo replied, his guard up. He wasn't sure what they were up to, but he'd be prepared for what ever they threw at him.

"Not very trusting, is he?" the blonde asked her counterpart, who gave a small smile.

"Doesn't seem like it."

"So are we done playing with this guy yet? I'm in a killing mood."

Piccolo's face didn't register any expression, though his mind was working frantically. These things were only playing? That couldn't be right; he had held the upper hand throughout the match. They were hiding something from him and he was gonna find it out.

"So this whole time you've been toying with me?" the Namek called out.

"Of course," Eighteen answered. "We are androids after all."

"And that means?"

"It means that no matter what, we never lose power," Seventeen explained. "We never tire, no matter how long the fight goes. You, on the other hand, I can't say the same thing."

They were bluffing. It was a decent bluff, but that wouldn't work on him. "We'll see about that," he muttered.

However, before he could move, both androids disappeared. The next thing the Namekian, something collided with his face, stunning him.

As he felt the impact from what ever hit his face, another blow came out of nowhere, nailing him in his ribs, causing him to flinch away. Than another hit in his back, then in his stomach, his head, then in his stomach again. One at a time, the blows hit him, each one causing his body to spasm in pain. He had no idea which android would hit him, but it was always in a different spot.

Not to mention within a second of the previous hit.

From the ground, while the other Z warriors could only see blurs around the Namekian, it didn't take more than a couple moments for them to realize that their comrade was in trouble.

Yet none of them moved. Whether it was out of fear, surprise, or even respecting Piccolo's right to fight his own battles, they never moved, even as desperation to be of assistance began to well up in them.

It was then that a blow to Piccolo's cheek sent him flying away from the beating he was receiving. His gi was torn and ruffled in various spots along with various cuts on his skin, each one leaking blood. All in all, he had seen better days.

And yet, not one bruise deterred him from leaving this fight.

With a war cry, Piccolo charged at his mechanical opponents. Both responded by waiting for him as he closed in. As the Namek drew a fist back and threw it forward, they both used bursts of speed to disappear, their green foe's fist flying through empty space.

That was when Seventeen appeared right above him, the side of his body horizontal to the ground and his arm extended out. Bending it, propelled himself down, nailing Piccolo in the head with his elbow, sending him crashing down towards the ground. Once his body hit the ground, he bounced off of it. It was then that Eighteen swooped it, her body flying mere inches above the ground with her feet leading the way. As Piccolo's body reached the peak of his bounce, her feet slammed into him, sending him skipping on the ground a few times until he skidded to a stop.

That…had hurt. Slowly, Piccolo picked himself up, seeing his two opponents stand a ways away. They looked totally relaxed, almost as if they hadn't been in fierce combat moments before.

And that was when fear set in.

He hadn't wanted to believe it, but now he had no choice. These androids were strong, much stronger than him. Even after his power increase, he still was nothing.

Had his remerger with Kami been a waste?

No! It wasn't! He couldn't think like this. One's mindset was key to all battles. If one were to think negatively, he would lose, positive leading to victory. Slowly, his head turned towards his comrades-in-arms, his focus on Gohan. He had to stop this menace now, if not for his own survival…

…then for the safety of Gohan.

With a cry, Piccolo charged.

* * *

His mentor gave out a war cry and charged the Androids. In turn, the machines raced towards him. Everything seemed to go into slow motion as the three closed in on each other.

One moment they were mere inches away, the next they were several yards between them, each side facing away from the opposition.

And then, the Androids straightened out their stances, turning to look with small grins at the Z warriors.

Fear began to well up in Gohan's eyes. Looking at Piccolo, he saw the Namek fall to his knees, the rest of his body standing straight up. Slowly, he turned his head to look right at the Son boy. With his last breath, one last message left his lips.

"Gohan…run…"

And then he fell to the ground, his body lifeless.


	10. Beginning of the End

"Piccolo!" Gohan cried as he raced to his fallen mentor. He fell to his knees right beside his body, his hands gripping onto the Namek's shoulder.

"Piccolo, you can't die!" he shouted, shaking him as he fought the dread in his body. He had seen this before once, when the Namekian had jumped in front of an attack that was meant for him.

It was still a scene he still saw in his nightmares.

And like the last time, his mentor's killer, or in this case killers, approached him, stopping a short distance away. Both looked at him as he tried in vain to wake the Namek up.

"Well, that's one down. Who's next?" Eighteen asked, her remarks obviously meant for the young boy. A spark of anger flared a second later.

"I'm not too picky. How about the shrimp here?" Seventeen suggested. "He seems to be missing the green guy very much. We can do the community service we owe by helping him out."

The spark grew stronger.

The blonde android chuckled. "Sounds good to me. Hopefully he appreciates our efforts."

He couldn't help himself, it was too much to bear. In a flash, Gohan was on his feet, letting out a scream of anger and sorrow. A torrent of wind exploded from his body as his aura enveloped him along with his ki skyrocketing.

In response, the Androids and other Z warriors brought their arms up, offering minimal protection to their faces. The Son boy was pissed and retribution would be swift.

As his cry died out, he clenched his teeth, baring them as if he were a wild animal. Slowly, his pupils vanished into the whites of his eyes just before he gave out another scream, sending another rush of wind, this time throwing the Androids off their feet and sending them flying away.

Taping into the large pool of ki at his disposal, Gohan threw his hands our and began firing a barrage of ki blasts, his arms pumping back and forth as he fired each beam. The ki blasts raced after the Androids and exploded once they reached them. Flames covered the last place they had been seen even as Gohan sent more and more ki blasts into the blaze.

"Look at him go!" Tien shouted as he watched. He had no idea where this sudden burst of ki came from, but if it defeated the Androids then he was glad it decided to appear now instead of never.

"Keep it up, kiddo!" Yamcha yelled out. Needless to say, he was in agreement with his fellow bald comrade.

Slowly, Gohan's attack died down until the demi-saiyan stopped firing ki blasts, panting as his arms fell at his sides.

Smoke covered everything in front of the boy and his friends, rising into the air to slowly begin dispersing.

A few moments later, Krillen, Tien, and Yamcha approached the boy. None of them said a word, allowing the silence around them to continue. It would be Krillen who offered words of solace to the young boy as he put his hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry; we'll bring him back."

As the smoke cleared up, two silhouettes appeared. The four fighters' eyes widened as Seventeen and Eighteen emerged unharmed, blank stares on their faces.

"Th-that's impossible!" Yamcha exclaimed. "Gohan practically leveled half the city and there's not a scratch on them!"

"Sorry to ruin your little party there, but it seems this battle hasn't been concluded," Seventeen spoke up. "Would you gentlemen care to start it back up again?"

Fearful stutters left Gohan's mouth as he looked at the two nightmares. He hadn't been too aware of what he had done, only that it caused mass destruction around him. But these…things…they were unstoppable!

Krillen seemed to have the same thoughts as he took a nervous step back. "Wh-what are we gonna do guys? These things are walking nightmares!"

"We have to take them head on!" Tien declared.

"Do you have a death wish or something?" the monk replied.

Reining in his fear, Gohan gulped as he steeled his nerves. "Tien's right. We have to fight these things."

"Gohan, you too? Didn't you see what they did to Piccolo?"

"There's no use running. They'd just hunt us down and we'd have to fight anyways. Piccolo would rather die fighting than hiding."

"That's a good speech and all," Yamcha spoke up, "but how are we suppose to beat these androids?"

"Well, there are four of us. If we fight them all at once, we might get an advantage," Tien suggested.

"Great plan. I just wish you were more sure about it."

"We'll go in waves. Yamcha and I will go first; Krillen, you and Gohan back us up, alright?" the bald man said.

"Got it," Gohan replied.

With the affirmation, Tien took off, charging at the Androids with Yamcha following a second later.

None of them had expected, however, Seventeen using his superior speed to rush the incoming humans. With his arms crossed in front of him, he rammed into Tien, his forearms pressing against the man's chest, stopping the charge, and forcing the two of them to fly in the other direction.

All Gohan and Krillen saw was a blur pass right between them and a loud sound coming from behind them. Turning their heads, they saw the two fighters against a large piece of a broken building, Seventeen pressing his crossed arms higher up their bald companion's body until they were up against his neck, suffocating him. The warrior's hands gripped onto the dark-haired android's forearms in an attempt to remove them, failing as he began to gag.

"Tien!" Yamcha shouted as he stopped his own charge, looking at the man. He would pay for that drop in guard as Eighteen came in and smashed her fist into his face, sending him flying off.

Turning his head, Gohan saw the former desert bandit flying off. Taking action, he flew towards the blonde android, intent on stopping her attack.

With a small smile on her face, she watched as the Son boy closed in on her, raising her arms at the last second to being blocking the barrage of punches he began throwing at her. Each fist was rendered useless as Eighteen's forearms prevented them from landing on her.

As the young boy began to feel desperation in his attempt to hit her, Eighteen suddenly stiffened the fingers on one of her hands, curling them and baring her palm. A moment later, she slammed her palm into the side of Gohan's head, sending him flying in the opposite direction of Yamcha.

Meanwhile, Krillen went to go help Tien, drawing back a fist as he rushed in.

Turning his head to see the smaller bald man closing in, Seventeen swung his lower body off the ground, swinging a kick that nailed Krillen in the head with the back of his heel. The monk went flying until he crashed on the ground, bouncing off of it and landing back on it a few times just like a rock skipping over water.

"That was easy," the young man smirked.

Taking advantage of the android's decreased attention on him, Tien dropped one of his hands from the arms choking him. Pressing it against the slab of concrete he was against, he charged as much ki as his oxygen deprived body could and unleashed it, the building piece crumbling into pieces. Leaning his body backwards, he fell to the ground as Seventeen flew over him, surprised by the disappearance of his victim's body. Stopping a short distance away, the young man turned to look as Tien recovered, coughing harshly.

Landing on the ground, Seventeen strolled over to the bald man. "Ya know, for a man that once defeated Son Goku, you're a bit of a disappointment," he mocked.

Tien's eyes flashed in anger. A second later, he leapt from the ground, throwing a punch at the despicable machine.

Seventeen easily dodged the punch, ducking the blow. With his own fist, he slammed it into Tien's midsection, stopping his body's momentum instantly as immense pain wrote itself on his face.

Moving backwards, the android let the three-eyed man collapse to the ground, holding his torso as small gasps of pain left his mouth. With a small grin, he pulled back his leg and swung it forward, nailing the man in the face and sending him skidding on the ground.

* * *

After recovering from Eighteen's blows, Yamcha and Gohan had launched themselves at the blonde android, throwing an onslaught of punches and kicks at her. In response, Eighteen blocked and dodged the attacks, keeping up with their flurry of blows. It was frustrating how she could keep up with them, not to mention frightening.

Suddenly, her hands shot out and grabbed each by the side of their heads. With a jerk, she slammed their heads together, stunning them as they fell to the ground.

"Tell me boys, how embarrassed are you?" she asked then. "How much does it hurt that you're getting beat up by a girl?"

Holding her hand out then, she charged up her energy, an orb of it appearing in her palm. "I won't let you worry too much about it though. I'll be sure to end your humiliation quickly."

Acting quickly, Yamcha rolled on the ground until his body laid on top of Gohan's in order to act as a shield for it. The energy blast burned into his back a moment later, covering the two in flames as the force of the explosion threw them through the air.

Things were definitely not going their way.

Once they hit the ground, Yamcha rolled off of the young boy, hissing as his newly burned back touch the asphalt. Oh yeah, that was gonna sting in the morning.

"Yamcha, are you okay?" Gohan asked as he climbed onto his knees, looking at the man in alarm.

"Don't sweat it kiddo, I'll be okay," the former desert bandit replied.

"Not for long you won't be."

Both warriors looked up at the blonde nightmare, who was now standing a few feet away from them.

"Get away from him!" Gohan shouted as he lunged at the woman.

Eighteen easily dodged the dive and grabbed him by the white collar around his neck. With a swing of her arm, she threw the boy into a nearby building, Gohan breaking right through the wall of it.

* * *

Krillen watched as Seventeen towered over Tien's body, the young man enjoying the torment he put upon him.

The monk could barely stand it. He and his comrade threw everything they had at these two androids and yet they hadn't so much as made a scratch on them. It was insanity!

But he knew Goku wouldn't give up, even in a fight this bleak. He would just up the ante and give it everything he had, even if he was out of power.

Spreading his legs, Krillen cupped his hands and moved them to his right side. "Kaa…meee," he chanted, gathering his ki. "Haaa…meeeee…"

Slowly, a bright blue ball of ki appeared in his cupped hands. Keeping his eyes on Seventeen as the android aimed one of his hands at Tien.

Thrusting his cupped hands in front of him, he fired his attack as he shouted "Haaaaa!"

A large blue beam flew from his hands, racing towards its dark haired target. Seventeen didn't take notice of it until it rammed right into him, picking his feet off the ground and carrying him away from Tien's prone body. An explosion occurred when the beam hit a still standing building.

Well, that building wouldn't be standing anymore.

That explosion drew the attention of Eighteen, causing her to turn her head to look at it. That was unexpected she mused; but she had no worry that her partner in crime would be too harmed by it.

It was during this that Gohan had emerged from the building he had been thrown into. Seeing her attention diverted, the Son boy charged at her, his fists ready to attack.

Although it seemed she had been distracted, that assumption had been brutally killed as she turned around to look at him closing in. Eighteen twisted her body to the boy's left side, allowing the demi-saiyan to fly right past her.

However, the blonde android didn't just let him pass her by unharmed. Bringing one of her arms up and bending it, she slammed her elbow down on top of his shoulder.

A sickening crack was heard, followed by a scream of pain. The cry caught everyone's attention as Gohan crashed to the ground, holding his left arm as he writhed in pain. Trickles of blood soon slid down the appendage.

"That must've hurt," Eighteen commented as she looked at the boy. "I think I broke your shoulder with that one."

"Get away from him!" Krillen screamed, rushing at her.

Before he could get to her, however, Seventeen swooped in and nailed him in the head with his foot, sending him crashing to the ground.

It took a few moments, but Krillen slowly got back to his feet. These androids were unreal, unstoppable even. They needed to get out of here now or else they'd all die.

And leave the Earth at the mercy of these twisted machines.

Looking around, the monk saw no sign of the two, causing fear to well up in him. Where did they go? Did they leave? Or were they just waiting to gang up on him?

It wasn't until he heard a couple chuckles from above him that he looked up. Hovering in midair, Seventeen and Eighteen held out their hands, two of their fingers extended with their signature energy colors glowing around them.

A moment later, two small energy beams tore into his chest, exiting out his back. Krillen never had a chance to scream as blood rushed up his throat. He collapsed to the ground soon after, blood drooling out of his mouth and down his chin as his head turned to a side.

"Krillen!" Tien shouted as he managed to get to his feet. He dashed over to his comrade, just as Yamcha arrived, Gohan's body in his arms.

The bald man could hardly bear looking at the monk's body. Even though there were two holes in his chest, he was still breathing short, jagged breath. Slowly, he turned his head to look at his comrades, a faraway look in his eyes.

"They're…just too much…" he spoke softly. "There's…no way we can beat them…"

With one last breath, Krillen closed his eyes, never to open them again.

"This can't be happening," Yamcha whispered. "We…we have to get out of here."

Tien slowly nodded his head. Yamcha was right. They couldn't keep fighting this battle, not with two of their comrades dead in the dirt. One look at Gohan told him that the boy was barely holding onto consciousness, his face twisted into a mask of pain. It was time to retreat.

"Close your eyes," he ordered as he turned to look at the Androids, both of them landing on the ground a short distance away. Moving his hands to the side of his head, his fingers spread apart, he gathered his ki and unleashed it in a bright burst. "Solar Flare!"

The blinding light covered the area, once again burning the eyes of the Androids. Each let out a grunt of pain and irritation as they closed their eyes and held their arms in front of their faces.

Taking that opportunity, the two Z warriors, with Yamcha carrying Gohan, took off into the city ruins. They needed to find a place to hide out before they could get out of there or else those two walking nightmares would easily find them and finish them off just as quickly.

As they raced through the streets, taking turns every other street, the blinding light behind them began to die down. It was only a matter of time before the Androids were able to give chase; that is if they were in the mood to do so.

However, an explosion erupted a couple blocks behind him, causing fear to well up within them. Somehow, someway, those two androids had found them and only moments after being nearly blinded. How, neither warrior knew, but it was the worst thing that could've happen.

Immediately, Tien and Yamcha dashed into a half-dilapidated building. Upon entering it, they found training equipment sprawled about the place. Apparently, the place was some sort of dojo and was in use before the city was attacked.

"We've got to hide Gohan, Tien!" Yamcha spoke up, fear clearly in his voice.

"I know, Yamcha, I know," Tien agreed. Looking about the room they were in he noticed part of the roof had caved-in; broken wood paneling and boards mingled with pieces of concrete indicating a piece of the building next door had fallen on it.

"Put him on the floor, Yamcha," Tien said. "We'll hide him in the debris."

Quickly, the two laid Gohan's whimpering body on the floor next to the cave-in. Methodically, they buried him beneath it, hoping their efforts would save the boy.

Solemnly, the two turned to head out of the building when they saw the two androids land right in front of the doorway.

This just wasn't their day. They were mere feet away from Gohan, who they had hid in an attempt to keep these machines from finding him. They had to take this fight out of here before any more damage occurred here.

"I won't let you take another step forward!" Tien shouted as he charged at the two, a fist drawn back.

Eighteen took a step forward and brought her knee up, imbedding it into the three-eyed man's stomach. The blow stopped his momentum, his eyes widening in pain.

Moving his arms, Seventeen placed one hand towards the back of the bald man's head and the other on the side of his chin. With a jerk, he broke the man's neck, killing him instantly as his eyes rolled to the back of his skull. When Eighteen stepped backwards, Tien's body fell to the ground, lifeless.

"You monsters!" Yamcha cried out as he drew a fist back, ready to charge at them as well.

A second went by and blood exploded from his back, the Androids standing behind the man, both leaning forward and their arms bent at their sides. A moment later, Yamcha collapsed, the whites of his eyes showing. Blood leaked onto the ground, surrounding him.

Both androids just looked at the cave-in in front of them. Blood covered the rubble like a mural, dripping down towards the floor.

Slowly, the two stood up straight and looked about the room. "Looks like they were just a distraction," Seventeen commented. "I don't see the kid anywhere. Must've escaped while we killed his friends."

"Like it matters," Eighteen replied. "If he's like the others, he'll be back. We'll just get to kill him then."

"Another day of fun, huh?"

"I guess you can look at it that way."

* * *

Gohan laid under the debris for what felt like hours. He heard Tien and Yamcha's last stand, felt their bodies falling to the ground, then the Androids' chatter. He felt numb. He was the only one left; the one who failed to save his friends as they died all around him.

It was too much to bear.

Blood dripped on him, the droplets seeping between the cracks of his hiding spot. The blood of his friends. It crippled his mind just to think he could've prevented this.

As time drug on, he finally felt the need to move, to leave this place of death. Fortunately, Tien and Yamcha had given him some wiggle room when they buried him. Turning his body around until he was on his stomach, he used his only good arm to push up.

The debris fell off of him until fresh air hit his face. Stepping away from the spot, he moved to the door of the building he was in.

Sometime after the Androids had left, people had began to reappear in the city, specifically from a hole in the floor. Men in workout clothes stared at his blood soaked body, including the ones kneeling by the bodies of Tien and Yamcha.

He ignored them though. It was as if they didn't exist. He walked passed all of them, vaguely hearing some of them asking if he was hurt. Once he exited the building, along with some of the men trying to get his attention, he took off into the air to the cries of surprise.

He needed to get out of this city…this place of death.

He wanted to go home.

* * *

To A-man: Thanks.

For those of you who would like to see Gohan's return home, check out Dawning of a Dark Age. You can find it on my profile or search for it through ffn. I had written it a couple years ago, but I couldn't help but use some of its elements in the last couple of chapters.


	11. Dojo Ruins

Videl was shocked. After hours of hiding beneath her father's dojo, she and all the others that were hiding with her heard voices. They were muffled due to the floor boards but from what she could gather, two people were trying to hide someone. She couldn't quite make out what they were saying but it seemed they decided something as she heard a bunch of sounds from somewhere above her.

That was when they clearly heard one of them yell "I won't let you take another step forward!" That was followed by a thud towards the front of the room. Running the floor plan of the dojo above through her mind, she guessed that was about where the front door was.

"You monsters!" the other person, a man from the sound of his voice, shouted. Moments later, another thud was heard.

That was when they all heard calm voices, one male and the other female. They seemed to be debating something, but what ever it was, the Satan girl couldn't make out. Soon, footsteps made their way to the front of the room again and disappeared when they exited out of the building.

Everyone stayed quite, their hearts pounding. Who knew if those people would return and discovered their hiding place. They hadn't the first time, but that didn't mean it would stay that way if there was a second check.

Fortunately, those voices didn't come back, not to mention the lack of tremors that had been occurring for a good hour earlier. Finally, her father thought the coast was clear and went to leave the bunker. Finding a step-ladder, he stood it right underneath the hidden door.

Upon opening it, they all heard a gasp.

Her father stood on the ladder for a few minutes before he finally moved fully out of the doorway. Soon, everyone moved to leave the bunker, going one at a time up the step-ladder. Videl waited anxiously, wanted to get out of the dark room and stale air.

When it came for her turn, she quickly scaled the ladder, feeling a rush of fresh air hit her face as she poked her head through the trap door. Man did that feel good.

Her thoughts quickly turned to room around her a moment later. It looked like a disaster area with all the equipment scattered about the floor, various pieces of wood and concrete piling in different sections of the room. A section of the roof had caved in, making her feel sick. This dojo had been built by her own father's hands, so she couldn't help but feel pride when ever she saw it. To see it in this disarray was horrible.

Those thoughts came to an abrupt halt when her eyes fell upon the two dead bodies.

Videl sucked in her breath upon seeing them. Several of the men had gathered around them, checking to see what had happened to them. The closest one to her was of a man in an orange gi and spiky black hair. He laid in a puddle of blood that seemed to have stopped growing, yet it was his back that drew her attention. The back of his gi had been ripped off, the edges of it soaked with dried blood. It was a gruesome sight to see.

Soon, her blue eyes turned to see the other body, one of a bald man whose head was turned at an odd angle. It didn't take her long to figure out what killed him.

It was a horrible sight to see, one she knew she'd be having nightmares of for some time. These men died fighting something; something that wasn't afraid to get bloody if the blood on the crumbling roof proved anything.

Suddenly, she heard something that sounded like rock rubbing against each other. Looking for where the sound was coming from, she soon saw a boy no older than her emerged from a pile of debris next to the cave-in.

The first thing the Satan girl noticed was how drenched he was with blood. What was once a purple gi was now taking on a dark red color. His shaggy black hair was caked with the dried essence. The second thing she took notice of was how his left arm hung limply at his side. It almost seemed unnatural.

It was when she looked at his eyes that she saw how empty they looked. It seemed as if he had gone into shock from what had happened in this room; what he had seen up here.

And then it clicked. Those two men had been trying to hide him away from what ever was after him. They managed to hide the boy in the rubble before they were killed. These men were his friends…

Slowly, he walked out of the room, ignoring all of the men around him as they tried to make sure if he was alright. Videl pulled herself out of the doorway and hurried after him, worming her way through all the men trying to leave the building after the boy.

When she managed to get outside, her eyes went wide in astonishment. That boy…he was flying! He just lifted off the ground and flew high into the air before heading in some random direction. Where he was going, she didn't know, but…he was flying! How could he do such a thing?

"How is he doing that?" she heard one of the men ask, many of them too shocked to answer him.

After staring into the sky for who knows how long, Videl finally focused her attention somewhere else, specifically the ruined city around her. What was once a thriving society was now devastation. Familiar places she had seen in her short lifetime were barely recognizable now.

It was as if she has stepped out into a world different from the one she had always known.

Faintly, she head talking from the men. What they were talking about, she didn't know. She was too absorbed in her new surroundings. That changed when she felt her father kneel beside her and wrap his arms around her body.

In response, the Satan girl nestled further into her father's safe arms. Nothing could get her when he was around.

As if to reinforce that thought, Hercule said "Everything's going to be okay, Videl. Daddy won't let anything bad happen to you."

Looking up to see his face, the daughter of Satan asked "What do we do now, Daddy? Everything's…destroyed."

A determined look appeared on his grizzled face. "We're leaving this place."

Videl looked alarmed. Leaving? But why? "We can't do that! Where can we go?"

"There's a place we can stay on South Island," her father said.

"South Island?" Videl questioned. "But…isn't that where they hold the World Martial Arts Tourament?"

All she got was a grin in response.

Her eyes widened. Her father was still planning to enter the WMAT, despite losing his dojo. Was he serious?

"I'm gonna become the Strongest Under the Heavens and then beat what ever killed those men in there. I, Hercule Satan, will avenge them!"

Videl couldn't feel any prouder of her father than at that moment. Those men's killers wouldn't be safe with the world champ after them. Hugging him tightly, she knew everything would be alright.

Until she saw the faces of Erasa and Sharpner.

Realization dawned on the dark haired girl then. Who knew if her friends had a home to go to after all that happened here. Had their families gotten out of the city during the attack? If so, how would they be able to contact them? They were all by themselves at the moment and she would be damned if she left them out in the cold.

"Daddy?" she said carefully as she looked him in the face again. "Can we bring Erasa and Sharpner with us? Who knows if their parents are okay."

Hercule turned to look at the two blond children, his gaze softening as he observed them. "Sure, we can take them," he finally answered. "They can stay until we can find their families."

"You're the best, Daddy!"

* * *

To A-man: Glad you like it.

To A-man: Thanks. As I understand it from the History of Trunks movie, Gohan said it took him thinking about the deaths of Piccolo, Krillen, and the innocent people being killed by the Androids. I took that as him allowing his emotions to overwhelm him one day and he transformed. I could be wrong about that though. Fortunately, there are several different timelines as the anime mentioned so it's possible that Gohan did or didn't transform at this moment. It can be argued either way or in a completely different one as well.


	12. Three Days Later

Light shown through the canopy of the forest trees. A soft breeze blew by, ruffling the leaves all around. The silence that filled this wooden grove gave a mysterious feel to the place.

Yet all of this was the furthest away from Gohan's mind.

It had been three days since he returned to his home, broken and bloodied. His mother had wept over him even as he wept on her. She had comforted him as he allowed his emotions to overcome him.

Piccolo, Krillen, Tien, Yamcha, Chiaotzu; all of them were dead, killed before his eyes. He hadn't seen a blood bath like that since Vegeta had first arrived on Earth. Their combined might was nothing against the Androids. Though he had been the only survivor, he had a shattered shoulder to show for it.

Fortunately, the bag of senzu beans Piccolo had brought with him had been recovered. How or when he had gotten a hold of them, he didn't remember. Everything that happened that day was a blur in his memory. Perhaps he should've been thankful for that—nothing too traumatic could haunt his mind now.

That and his shoulder was back in one piece.

Standing amongst the trees, a repaired gi of the one Piccolo gave him on his form, the demi-saiyan began stretching out muscles and joints. The Son boy had had enough rest these past few days. Now was the time for training, to become strong enough to take on the Androids once more.

It was gonna take a long time to get to that point.

Never had he faced someone this powerful before. Frieza had been considered an impossible challenge back in the day but even he didn't compare to these things. They showed no emotion, not even glee when they killed people. Well, at least when he was around. Maybe they did it when they weren't killing. Doubtful, but one never knew.

Finished with his stretches, Gohan leapt into the air, throwing out a rapid succession of kicks. Using a burst of speed, he shot himself towards a tree head first. Flipping in midair, he landed on the bark with his feet, pushing off of it a moment later as he flew at another tree. This time, he threw a punch, breaking the outer shell of the tree when his fist impacted it.

A succession of punches followed soon after as the Son boy attacked his wooden opponent. With a swing of his leg, he kicked the tree to finish off his assault. Using a burst of ki, he gently pushed his body away, drifting back to the ground.

There, that should suffice as a good warm-up.

* * *

Hours later, and a few broken trees left in his wake, Gohan was sitting next to a large boulder, his arms crossed over his chest as well as his legs crossed beneath him. Piccolo always said that a fighter needed to keep a strong mind as well as a strong body.

Steadying his breathing, he slipped into a meditative state. Now was the time to think, to plan his next actions against the Androids. What did he know about them? Besides their inhuman strength, they were very agile. They moved like water flowed, giving them a deadly gracefulness. If he were to fight these things again, that agility needed to be taken into consideration.

How did they fight? The boy, Seventeen, had a tendency to go into hand-to-hand combat, preferring to beat his opponents senseless. Eighteen, on the other hand, used more energy blasts than her male counterpart. Such a tendency usually meant a fighter preferred long-distance combat, yet the blonde woman used the blasts in close quarters. Perhaps that meant she had a problem with aiming. It was an idea to consider.

Unfortunately, the breakdown of their fighting styles didn't lead the demi-saiyan anywhere. He couldn't use that information to his advantage because of their propensity to fight together. Neither felt the need to fight one-on-one battles. It practically ensured them victory.

Gohan let out a growl of frustration. Even though he had been fighting life-or-death battles at an early age, it didn't give him that edge of experience he was calling on. Piccolo could do it; he knew he could. The Namekian usually had half of his battles won simply by outthinking his opponents. However, that usually worked when one was close in strength to an opponent. The Son boy knew the gap between him and the Androids was too big to let careful planning bring him victory.

This wasn't getting him anywhere. Retreating from his thoughts, the young boy climbed back to his feet. It was time to continue training.

* * *

Chichi watched her only son gorge himself on dinner.

He had been outside all day, doing Kami knows what; but what ever it was, it had tired him out. After being cooped up inside the house for the past couple days, she didn't fault him for wanting to spend some time outside.

She hadn't expected him to stay out the whole day though.

In her mind, Gohan's studies came first. An education was what he needed to survive out in the world. Though she hadn't been too fond of her son's perchance to follow his father's footsteps with fighting, she supposed he needed some sort of physical activity.

The problem came when Piccolo had kidnapped him to train for alien invaders. Upon hearing that news, she had fainted from information overload. It wasn't everyday that you lost your husband to death and your four year old son to his evil rival.

When she had finally been able to hold him in her arms again, he was determined to be off on another adventure, just like Goku had been when he was a boy. That had been the first time he had stood up against her wishes; the first sign that her little boy had grown up.

He had gotten back into the habit of obeying her after the death of Goku. He had studied like she dreamed he would for the next year.

And then these androids appeared. First Vegeta had been killed. Then Gohan had taken off in the middle of the night to fight them. He hadn't even returned home until he came back with blood all over his body.

Chichi couldn't help but sigh at that horrid memory. She couldn't help but feel that there would be more of those moments to come.

Seeing that her son was just about done with his current plate, the Son mother decided to start up a conversation with him. Perhaps he'd tell her what he had been up to all day. "So how was your day, Gohan?"

"Okay," was his monosyllabic answer.

She frowned. "What did you do? Anything fun?"

Had Gohan been in a regular state of mind, meaning not eating, he probably wouldn't have answered the way he did. "I did some training today. It was an okay start but I need to push myself harder in the coming days."

Chichi's eyebrow twitched. Training? He had been training all day long? So that explained his tiredness. And from the sound of it, he was planning on continuing it.

Not on her watch.

"I'm curious how you're going to get your studies finished if you're training. We both know what comes first."

That was when Gohan stopped eating, causing her to frown again.

"Mom, I'm not going to study."

"You WHAT?" Chichi practically shrieked.

Her son looked her in the eyes, determination in his own. "I'm not going to study. There are more important things at hand Mom."

"You can't stop studying!" Chichi demanded. "You'll fall behind all the other kids and won't be able to get into a good college!"

He replied to her in a calm voice. "At the rate the Androids are attacking, there won't be any colleges left."

"Young man, you are not stopping your studies, you hear me? They're far too important to just cast aside."

Gohan slammed the palms of his hands on the table, causing all of the dinnerware to rattle. "They're all dead, Mom. Vegeta, Piccolo, Krillen; I'm all that's left. There's no one on the planet that can stand a chance at living against them, much less fighting them. If studying would stop them, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But that's not the case. I have to train."

Chichi's eyes widened. It was just like the time at the hospital. No matter what she did, he was determined to help people.

Just like his father.

However, there was one last card she could use.

"But…what about the Dragonballs? Surely you could wish them back and the others can fight again."

Gohan sighed. "They don't exist anymore, Mom. When Piccolo died, so did Kami, and with Kami so did the Dragonballs. And even if they were still around, all of them have died once already. I couldn't wish them back, even if I wanted to."

That was it. He had won.

Looking at her, Gohan let out another sigh and put on a small smile. "I could try to study a little, Mom. When ever I get the chance."

That would have to do for now. Chichi nodded her head. "I suppose that's the best I can get out of you for now. But when you beat these android things, it's right back to studying."

Gohan nodded his head. "Deal."


	13. Happy Birthday

Pulling up the large white cloth, he attached it to his puffy collar. There, now he had a cape.

It had been a month since that fateful battle that took his friends from him, and practically everyday since he had been training. Now was the time to put everything to the test; to see if his training had paid off.

Though the newly attached cape was a bit different from his usual outfit, it was a sharp reminder of the one Piccolo had worn. Hopefully the Namekian was watching him in Otherworld, wishing him luck.

Then again, when had luck ever been a comfort he could rely on?

A couple more cities had been destroyed during these pass 30 days. Though it tore at Gohan's heart, there was nothing he could do. Going into a battle knowing you weren't ready was a recipe for getting one killed. The decision raged against everything he had been taught and believed in, but the smart move would've been to stay out of it.

That didn't mean he liked it.

Now though, the Son boy was ready. He could feel it. It was time to put an end to all this pointless destruction. He could feel it in his bone that today would be different; this upcoming encounter would be different. The demi-saiyan couldn't help but feel a bit giddy about that.

Leaving his house cautiously, so as not to alert his mother on his plan of action, he took off into the air, heading for North City as his cape fluttered behind him. According to the radio report, that was the latest city being attack by the Androids. Flying as fast as he could, the Son boy hoped he wouldn't be too late.

* * *

Fate seemed to be on his side this time. When Gohan had arrived at North City, the city was still under attack. There were still people alive; people that he needed to save.

It was a time of action.

Descending into the deteriorating metropolis, Gohan went straight to a section that had just released a rising cloud of smoke.

That was exactly where the Androids were.

This time though, instead of just ruined buildings around them—ones that they were intending on reducing into rubble—a gathering of frightened people cowered in front of them. Both androids looked at them with amusement, a discussion going on between them on how they were going to kill each and every one of them.

"I say we just blast them all to pieces," Eighteen said.

"And where's the fun in that? Why not see how many ways we can kill them?" Seventeen replied.

"Because I'm not in the mood to play around," the blonde shot back. "I want to go shopping."

"Ugh, shopping. Is that all you want to do? You've been to every single store in every city we've blown up."

"Because I like a big selection. Unlike you, Seventeen, I like looking good."

"And who are you going to look good for? Is there someone you're seeing behind my back?"

"Shut up!"

Gohan frowned. They acted just like little kids. Spoiled ones too. Landing on the ground some distance away, he shouted "That's enough!"

That caught everyone's attention. While the Androids just looked at him with slight annoyance, the people just looked baffled. What in the world was a kid doing talking to these murderers like that?

"Hey, it's that little kid again," Eighteen said. "What's his name again?"

"Something about rice," Seventeen answered.

Gohan refused to respond to the mocking. That would only serve to knock him off the top of his game—not the best way to start a fight. He would just have to show them that he was more than just talk.

"Your reign of terror is over!" the Son boy announced. "I won't let you kill another person!"

"He thinks he can stop us, huh?" Seventeen commented. "Shall we go put him in his place?"

"Yes, we shall."

Simultaneously, both androids launched themselves at the young boy, who in turn fell into a defensive stance. Immediately, the twin androids threw a barrage of punches at him, Gohan blocking them as best he could. For the most part, he was doing a good job too.

Unfortunately, once one punch got through, several more landed on his body soon after. Before he knew it, fists were pounding him all over him, ending when one of the machines landed a kick to his head that sent him flying away.

Gohan landed on the ground head first, skidding a few feet. Shaking the stars that were jumping all over his vision, the Son boy found he had made a mistake. These androids were much stronger than he had thought. That wouldn't stop him though, not until he was he was dead in the dirt.

Standing back on his feet, he saw the Androids walking towards him like wraiths of death. Their blank expressions only added to the fear-inducing scene. Quickly, he looked to the group of people they had been threatening earlier, seeing them moving to leave the area. Good; if he was going to save them, he needed to keep those machines' attention squarely on him.

Moving his hands to his forehead, crossing them perpendicularly, he gathered as much ki as he could. "Masenko Ha!" he shouted as he fired a large blast at the two death machines.

Both androids disappeared from sight as the beam flew to a building in the background. Eyes widening, Gohan didn't pay attention to what happened with his attack as he leapt into the air just as two energy blasts arrived, exploding on his previous spot.

As the demi-saiyan looked down at the fresh cloud of smoke, he suddenly heard a feminine voice. "Hey there."

Jerking his head up, he saw Eighteen floating in midair, looking at him, her arms crossed over her chest. Lunging, Gohan threw a punch at her, which she easily dodged by moving to a side. Undeterred, the Son boy gave chase, throwing another punch at her, the blonde woman dodging once more by moving out of the way.

Frustration built up inside the boy as he went after her, throwing a kick this time. In response, Eighteen leaned backwards, watching as he leg sailed in front of her face. Tilting it to a side, she then flung her head up, smashing it into Gohan's face, causing him to give out a cry of pain.

As the Son boy hovered in air, gripping his face. Eighteen disappeared from sight, unbeknownst to her opponent. Following that, Seveteen came flying in, slamming a fist into the demi-saiyan's unprotected gut. The boy's body bent over the arm of the android, his hand removed from his face as his eyes bulged out. The lack of air in his legs caused him to gasp.

"This is a bit disappointing," Gohan heard Seventeen said. "You were more of a challenge the last time we fought. You sure you're giving your all?"

Anger filled the young boy, causing him to snap his body straight and throwing a punch at his dark haired opponent, this time landing the blow on his face.

Unfortunately, Seventeen just looked at him, unfazed by the punch. "Is that it?"

That was when the male android grabbed Gohan by the back of his head. Forcing it down, Seventeen raised his leg up, bent at the knee. The demi-saiyan's face soon met with the knee, any cry of pain silence by the blockage the leg served. Pulling his head up, spit and blood flew from the boy's mouth as he opened it wide, his eyes shut closed.

Forcing Gohan's head down again, this time Seventeen flew the two down to the ground, smashing his young opponent's face into the broken asphalt.

Releasing his hold, Seventeen straightened his posture out, soon being joined by Eighteen as the two looked down at the boy.

"That wasn't any fun," the young man soon commented.

"What did you expect from a little kid?" Eighteen replied. "He doesn't have any of his friends helping him."

"You may have a point. But we have to at least make this more entertaining. I know! Why don't we kill all those people in front of him? That should get him riled up."

Turning to look, the Androids soon found their audience was missing. Eighteen narrowed her eyes. "How rude; they ran away."

"Probably ran off during the fight."

"Maybe rice boy here was just trying to buy time for them to run away."

Seventeen smirked. "Now there's an idea. It would explain why he wasn't worth the effort. What a bummer for the radio crowd; they won't get to hear about an exciting fight. Then again, I haven't heard anything good on in awhile."

The next thing Gohan knew, he felt a leg slam into his stomach, causing him to lose his air. His whole body ached and it didn't help that the two murderous machines responsible were standing over him.

"Not much fight left in him," Eighteen said. "I guess we should kill him now."

Opening an eye, Gohan saw the two androids aiming their hands at him. This wasn't boding well for the boy, especially if he didn't do something to keep him in one piece. Reacting, he thrust up a hand and fired a ki blast at the two. An explosion detonated, sending smoke and dust everywhere.

And all the Son boy saw after that was darkness.

* * *

Nightfall had descended on the city before Gohan had awoken. To say it was a miracle that he was still alive was an understatement.

When his ki blast had exploded on the Androids, the force of the blast sent his weakened body flying away. He wasn't sure how that had happened—and couldn't come up with any decent reason either—but he wouldn't question what ever bit of luck or fortune he had been given. He had landed right next to a building that apparently hid him from his deadly opponents. Well, considering he was out in the open, it was possible they just didn't feel like killing him then and there. What ever the reason though, he wouldn't second guess it.

Slowly lifting off the ground, Gohan drifted up to float above the city. There were small lights here and there, indicating that people had returned to the ruined place. At least they were still alive.

The demi-saiyan headed home after that. It took longer to get there than it had when he raced to North City. That was to be expected though. After all, he had been in a rush to get here.

When he finally reached his house, he was met by his mother, dressed in her bathrobe. Upon seeing him enter the house, the look of worry that had been on her face melted into relief. Her baby was okay, roughed up a bit, but still alive. That was all she could ask for.

"Welcome home," the Son woman managed to say after some time.

"Thanks, Mom," Gohan replied before heading towards his room. Troubling thoughts followed him with each footstep. Today had felt so good. He had been sure that he'd defeat the Android menace; instead he ended up beaten up. Disappointment was welling up throughout him.

"Oh honey," Chichi called out to him, causing him to look at her.

"Yeah?"

"Happy Birthday."

So that's why today felt different. He had forgotten about it. It still didn't stop the disappointment from entering his every emotion but at least he could make someone feel better tonight.

"Thanks Mom."

* * *

To A-man: You bring up a good point. I had to look into it too to figure out and my research came up with this: They had no idea where the Nameks had gone after they wished for a new home planet. When Goku suggested getting a new guardian for Earth, Piccolo said they had no idea where they were so Goku had to use King Kai to try and pinpoint them. I guess the Nameks didn't send them a "Wish you were here" postcard or something lol.


	14. Ascension

"What's wrong with me?" Gohan shouted as he pounded the ground.

The cries of birds fleeing the area filled the air. Wings flapped as hard as they could be, caws startling others near them, causing more to make noise.

Nothing had changed since his birthday. Doing away with self-preservation, the Son boy had rushed to every Android attack, seeking to stop them. Some times he arrived in time to witness another heinous crime they were committing, followed by him trying to stop them; other times he'd find they had moved on, leaving him to try and find survivors. Needless to say, he had failed to end their reign of terror.

About the only good news from each defeat was that he was growing stronger. As Vegeta use to proudly say, a Saiyan grew stronger after every battle. Gohan was no exception to this rule.

But the increases he received garnered no new results. Besides the fact that he could keep the battles going longer, he was still eating dirt.

Soon, the demi-saiyan just tried to save as many people's lives as he could. He didn't fight the Androids to defeat them, stalling them actually. The longer he lasted against them, the more time innocent people could flee the area.

After the third battle with this strategy, the Androids had wizened up to his plan.

Though they didn't seem to mind his attempts, sometimes in the middle of battle, when they had him lying on the ground in pain, they would fire energy blasts randomly into the city, killing anyone unlucky to be hit by them. This would rile him up into attacking in anger, and any semblance of him holding his own disappeared. The fight would end soon after, usually with him managing to escape the city.

So stalling for time became an outdated plan, especially during one encounter when one of the Androids began fighting him while the other decimated the population. That had been one of the worst days of his life.

Why was he so helpless against them? It was maddening. Nothing should be as powerful as they were; nothing! Yet, they defied all rationale. Who ever this Dr. Gero man was, he hoped he was rotting in hell for it. He didn't know his reasoning for making them, but Earth was suffering from his transgressions.

Sitting on the ground, Gohan closed his eyes, trying to clear his head. Unfortunately, he could still hear the screams of people dying, along with his friends' deaths. It was jumbling together, making a soundtrack of horror.

"_Gohan…run…"_

"_Somebody help!"_

"_Ahhhhhhh!"_

"_I won't let you take another step forward!"_

"_Don't hurt my baby!"_

"_There's…no way we can beat them…"_

"_You monsters!"_

"_Don't kill me! I beg of you!"_

Gohan gripped the sides of his head. It was all too much; threatening to overcome him. A choked up sob escaped his lips, tears building up in his eyes.

"_Don't worry about the rice boy here, Eighteen. I'll take care of him."_

"_Die you maggots, die!"_

Those last two; those were the very words those two murderers said when they killed those people. None of them stood a chance as Eighteen slaughtered them left and right. Joining his sorrow, rage built up inside him. Those…damned…monsters!

Flaring his aura around him, Gohan flew off the ground, flying straight at a large boulder. With as much strength as he could, he punched the rock, creating a crater on its surface. That didn't sate the emotions running wild in his mind, causing him to repeatedly bash his fists on it until the boulder was nothing more than a pile of rubble.

And yet that still wasn't enough. Releasing a cry, he flung himself at a tree, hitting it head first. The tree broke at the point of contact, its top falling towards the ground.

It never got to touch the dirt as Gohan caught it, a trickle of blood running down his face from a bloodied spot on his forehead. Swinging the tree like a baseball bat, the large piece of wood slammed into multiple other trees, uprooting them or breaking them at the point of contact.

Heaving his tree up into the air, he swung it down to the ground, creating a ditch at the impact site.

Yet all this destruction didn't calm him down. Releasing his hold on the broken tree, Gohan grabbed the hair on the side of his head, screaming. The ground began cracking all around him.

That's when it happened. His aura took on a golden color, causing his hair to stiffen. A moment later, his hair followed suit, turning blond. As the muscles of his body bulked up, his eyes finished the transformation, turning teal.

Falling to his knees, Gohan panted heavily. Everything felt different; everything was different. His frustrations seemed to dissipate with each passing second and calming breath.

The power that was flowing through his system, it was incredible. The last time he had felt something this spectacular was when he witnessed his father's transformation into a Super Saiyan. The aura around him confirmed that much.

Standing up composed, Gohan slowly drifted up into the air. It was time to see what he could do.

* * *

When her eleven year old son came into the house, he seemed a bit different. There was a glint in his eyes that told her he had discovered something, something he could barely hold his excitement over. The only time he seemed to feel that way lately was when it involved his fighting with the Androids. While that was an exciting prospect, the Son mother didn't want to get her hopes up, or his.

That seemed to be what Gohan wanted too as he sat down at the kitchen table. Good timing too since lunch was almost finished.

"You're in early," Chichi commented as she moved to place lunch on the table. "Any reason why?"

"Thought I'd call training off early," her son replied, that glint still shining from his eyes. "I think I need a little break from routine."

"Would studying be part of that break?" she inquired, ever hopeful.

"Maybe. Depends if the radio stays quiet."

And that was all he said on the subject as he became absorb by the food set in front of him.

Throughout the meal, Chichi couldn't help but notice a change in her son's appetite. He had always had a large one, but for some reason, he was eating more voracious than usual. Almost as if he had missed breakfast, though that was absurd. She made breakfast this morning and was sure Gohan had eaten it too.

Something had happened to him during his training this morning, she was sure of it.

As the meal winded down, the sound of the radio went on. _"We have breaking news from South City! We have a new World Martial Arts Tournament Champion! Hercule Satan has claimed the champion belt, making him the best under the heavens!"_

"So they finally had another WMAT," Chichi mused.

Gohan looked at his mother curiously. "What is that?"

"The WMAT? It's a tournament to determine the best martial artists in the world, or it use to be. Didn't I ever tell you that's where your father and I were engaged?"

The Son boy frowned. "I don't think so. What's it like?"

"Oh, it was pretty exciting. Just watching your father fight was breath-taking," Chichi reflected. "Hearing all the people cheering for all the fighters was a great experience."

"People watch this? How many people?"

"Oh, I'd say a few hundred, though more people live on the island where it's held."

Gohan began to have a bad feeling. Something was wrong, he could feel it.

"_What a bummer for the radio crowd..."_

_"Then again, I haven't heard anything good on in awhile..."_

It hit him hard. The Androids listened to radio, so no doubt they just heard that announcement. With an island full of people at a tournament, it was just too tempting of a target for them to begin a massacre.

Not if he could help it.

Gohan was out of his chair a second later, racing out of his house before launching into the air. He didn't know how long it would take to get to get to South City, but he needed to get there as soon as he could.

With the focus of his ki, a golden aura burst forth.

* * *

To rasta: Thanks.


	15. Massacre on South Island

It was glorious. Throngs of people cheered loudly within the plaza, shouting to see the new world champion. Up on a balcony, Videl could see them all, almost as if she was looking over an ocean. She had dreamed of this day for months and it finally came to fruition.

Her father had become the Strongest Under the Heavens.

There were some other people on the balcony but she didn't pay any attention to them. She was too busy looking at the man standing next to her. Holding the champion's belt over his head, Hercule gave out a loud roar. The people looking up to him couldn't help but cheer even louder.

"People of South City," Hercule announced to the crowd. "Our nightmare is coming to an end! The time has come for us to put our foot down and say 'no more'!

"These past few months have been the darkest of our lives. We've had loved one taken from us, our homes destroyed, and terror gripping our hearts. But now, I say enough! We know who our enemy is. Two androids using cheap mechanical tricks are ruining our planet.

"And now, as the World Champ, I will not allow that to go any further. I will beat these androids and stop their reign of terror!"

The approval of the crowd roared forth. Everything was going to be alright now that they had the strongest man in the world declaring an end to their darkest hour. It was only a matter of time until he got his hands on those monsters and put an end to them.

"Did you hear that Eighteen? This guy thinks he can beat us."

Dead silence swept across the crowd. Slowly, everyone turned to look behind them, hoping not to see what they feared.

Standing a few feet from the back of the crowd was Seventeen and Eighteen, each looking mildly amused.

"Is that what he was saying?" Eighteen replied. "I couldn't quite hear him all the way back here. Perhaps we should get closer so I can hear him better."

"I don't know. There are an awful lot of people in the way."

"They won't mind us getting a better spot, I'm sure."

Walking over to the fear-struck people, the Androids took on an air of superiority. As Eighteen predicted, the crowd slowly moved out of their way, allowing the two to walk closer and closer to the balcony. None of the people wanted to set off the powder keg the two machines represented.

That was until someone refused to move.

A large, bulky man stood before the Androids, a look of defiance on his face. When the Androids stopped in front of him, he made no move to move out of their way.

"You're in our way, human," Seventeen spoke up.

"I'm not afraid of you," he shot back.

"Oh? And why's that?"

"Because none of us have to be. We have a champion that will teach you a lesson if you don't get out of here."

"Teach us a lesson?" Eighteen replied. "Sorry, I already dropped out of school."

The man didn't say another word, choosing to not back down.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll get out of our way," Seventeen threatened.

Nothing.

"I guess we're gonna have to do things your way," Eighteen surmised, a small smirk working onto her lips.

"I say you're right about that."

An instant later, both androids had a hand up, their energy forming right in front of their palms. A moment later, they fired energy blasts at the disobedient man, killing him along with everyone standing behind him, their screams being cut off by the blast.

That's when chaos broke loose. The entire crowd screamed in panic as people ran in every direction, trying to escape the wrath of the Androids.

Unfortunately for most, they were gunned down by energy blasts as Seventeen and Eighteen fired randomly around them. It didn't matter if they hit people or buildings or even missed entirely; they were well on their way for massive bloodshed.

Before her eyes, Videl watched the massacre in horror. It was…horrible. All of those people were being slaughtered indiscriminately with those light beams. Not even nightmares could be worse than this.

The next thing she knew, the light beams had stopped. Looking around the plaza, the Satan girl saw charred remains of bodies, small craters in the tiled floor, and blood all over the place.

"And here is our champion."

Jerking her head up, Videl stared in fear as she saw the two androids floating in midair, looking right at her, her father, and everyone else on the balcony. From the way they were looking at them, they were in the mood to keep on killing.

"Doesn't look like much," Eighteen commented. "And the hair; who wears that anymore? You think he'd stop going to the salon that keeps giving him that."

"I don't know. I kinda like it," Seventeen replied.

"You would. Men have no taste in appearances whatsoever."

"What about all those guys who go gaga over you before you kill them?"

"They're not worth my time. And even if there is a decent one, you kill him anyways."

"Just looking out for my sister."

What in the world were they talking about? They were acting as if they were talking about the weather instead of killing people. Apparently, one of the people on the balcony thought they were too engrossed in their conversation that he'd try and slip away.

A light beam incinerating his head proved him wrong.

"Sorry about that, we almost forgot about you," Seventeen apologized. "And to all who stayed, we thank you for being patient.

Keeping his arm up, he gathered his energy, Eighteen raising her arms and copying his action. Steadily, they moved their glowing hands next to each other, combining the balls of light into a bright yellow one.

A second later, they fired a large golden beam at them.

Videl couldn't move her eyes off the light beam as it closed in on them. This was it, the end of her short life. The promise her father had made was an empty one now, his death being all the proof needed.

Then out of nowhere, someone swooped in and slammed a kick against the beam that was mere feet in front of them. The light beam went flying towards a building, detonating on contact, and destroying it.

Having watched the fate of what was once her grim reaper, the Satan girl turned to look at her unexpected savior. Floating right in front of her was a young boy with blond spiky hair. It could've just been her eyes playing tricks on her, but she could've sworn she saw a man in orange with golden hair as well hovering behind him. A purple gi, white collar, and red sash covered his body, causing Videl to do a double take. That gi…it looked very familiar…

Because of her attention being elsewhere, the Satan girl missed some conversation between the boy and the Androids. However, she definitely saw him move his hands to his forehead, wait a few seconds before thrusting his arms out, shouting "Masenko Ha!" and fired a large golden beam towards the killers in front of him.

Oh…wow…

* * *

Gohan floated in front of the balcony, his back to the people on it. He had cut it close, but he managed to knock that energy blast away from them. Hopefully they would take their chance and get out of here while he fought the Androids.

"Hey, who's this guy?"

Apparently, the Androids didn't recognize him due to his Super Saiyan transformation. That was okay; as long as he beat them it didn't matter if they knew what his name was.

"Your days are numbered, Androids," he called out to them.

"Are you sure?" Eighteen called back. "That's the second time we've heard that today and I think it's pretty obvious how the first one ended."

The Son boy ignored the dismissal. Instead, he raised both of his hands in front of his forehead and summoned his ki. When he felt a large chunk at his disposal, he was a bit surprised. Usually he couldn't gather so much in a short amount of time. Already the Super Saiyan powers were coming in handy.

"Masenko Ha!" he shouted as he threw his arms out, firing a larger than expected blast.

It seemed the Androids were of the same opinion as they only managed to get their arms in front of their faces before the blast enveloped them.

There was no explosion, however. The Masenko just flew off into the distance, fading into a distant light in the sky before disappearing from sight.

However, Gohan didn't drop his guard. Instead, he searched about the area, trying to look for the bodies of his opponents. He knew from past experience such an attack wouldn't beat them. It sometimes made him think they were out and about for the theatrics rather than killing.

There! His eyes trained on something covered in smoke and lying on the plaza floor. He raced right to it with an arm drawn back. As he closed in, he threw his punch.

And just before impact, a hand caught his fist, stopping not only the attack, but the demi-saiyan behind it. As the smokescreen cleared, Seventeen appeared, crouched on the ground and one of his hands gripping his fist. "That wasn't very nice."

Gohan's eyes widened. Immediately, his other hand shot out, grabbing onto the android's knee as he stood up and raised it. Had he not, he was sure the dark haired man's knee would be in his stomach right now.

This caught the android by surprise. That tactic had always worked before; why not now? Before he could figure the answer out, the Son boy lunged at him with his head, head-butting him and causing him to release his hold on his golden opponent.

As Seventeen grabbed his head, Gohan steadied himself before he leapt off the ground, spinning his body around, and swinging a leg out. His spinning kick nailed his foe in the side of his head, sending him flying away. Landing back on the ground, the Son boy readied himself for another attack.

Before he could press his advantage though, an intense burning sensation covered his back, causing him to fly off his feet and fall to the ground. Turning his head, he saw Eighteen holding a hand out and aimed right at him. Must've shot him with an energy blast, he thought.

Slowly, she fell into a fighting stance. "Come on, give me your best shot," she goaded.

Gohan rose to the challenge, flinging himself off the ground and charging her. Immediately, he threw a barrage of punches at her, the blonde android going on the defense and blocking them. Shortly after, she began counterattacking, causing the Son boy to do some of his own blocking and countering. However, unlike him, some of her punches were landing.

"Not bad," she suddenly said. "Better than that little boy we've been kicking around."

That had been unexpected. Praise from an android? The next thing he knew, they'd be establishing a new world order together.

Breaking off the exchange, the warrior leapt back, putting a small distance between the two. Then out of nowhere, Seventeen came flying in, ramming him in the side with his shoulder.

An unintended flight was just about to begin for the Saiyan, but that was rudely interrupted when Eighteen moved in quickly. Her kick to his face sent him flying off in a different direction, away from the balcony and across the plaza.

Recovering, Gohan managed to stop his flight, readying himself for his opponents' next move. It was just in time too as the two machines were closing in on him fast. The demi-saiyan barely managed to cross his arms in front of him to block the first few punches. Unfortunately, that defense was made useless once the twin nightmares began landing punches in his gut. That caused the boy to drop his guard, resulting in the two androids pounding him mercilessly all over his body.

Fists collided with his face, causing spit and blood to fly from his mouth. Elbows and kicks slammed into his chest, leaving his stomach wide open for knees to imbed themselves. Each blow landed in milliseconds, not to mention the culprits throwing the hits simultaneously. His whole body throbbed in pained, screaming for relief.

The next thing he knew, his body slammed into mortar and concrete, which quickly fell on top of him and buried him from sight. He couldn't help but accept the darkness that overcame him.

* * *

When that gold fighter had taken on those two androids, it seemed as if he could hold his own. That line of thinking didn't last long when he caught the receiving end of a beat down. It was almost too horrible to watch as he was pummeled without the chance to let out his pain.

Had it not been for her father's arms picking her off the balcony, Videl probably wouldn't have stopped watching.

As they disappeared into the building, the Satan girl snapped into her senses. "Daddy! Why aren't you helping him?"

"This isn't the time," Hercule answered, running down a hallway with the entourage that stood on the terrace with them.

"But that boy's fighting those monsters!" Videl protested, squirming in the man's grip.

"Right now, he's the only thing keeping everyone else alive," her father stated. "And I'm not gonna let you get hurt in the mess. I'll fight those things one day but not with you here."

"And the boy?" she demanded.

Hercule never replied to her, keeping his eyes out in front of them. Any answer he could give her would only hurt. Yes, he was taking the coward's way out, but his top priority was getting his daughter out of there.

And as far as that boy was concerned, he was on his own.

* * *

To A-man: Hopefully that fight was an interesting enough fight lol.

To rasta: Yep and ready to rumble.


	16. Alliance Denied

How long Gohan had been out, he didn't know nor did he care. His failure was obvious. Lying beneath rubble tended to send that message loud and clear.

But that wasn't the reason he remained there. He was worn out, pooped, tired. What ever other words there was for how he felt, he was all those too. A little rest wouldn't hurt him unless he was crushed to death. Not a very nice prospect.

It was much later when he heard some activity over him. It sounded as if someone was shifting through the debris, looking for something or someone. Well, he couldn't think of anyone that would travel all the way out here just to free him. Correction, he could, but right now wasn't the best time for them to be wandering around the world.

Suddenly, a chunk of concrete was lifted off of him, followed by a sigh of relief. "Finally found him," a deep voice said, one the Son boy didn't recognize. Some more pieces of debris were moved away from him before two hands grabbed onto his body and pulled him up.

Throughout this whole process, the demi-saiyan had kept his eyes closed. What was the point in looking around when the only thing you could see was the remains of a building? So when he felt an arm under his knees and another under his shoulders, he felt it was about time he saw his mystery rescuer.

Opening his eyes, his vision blurred. It took a couple seconds for his eyes to refocus, and when they did, he saw a rugged face above him. If he wasn't mistaken, there was a head full of curly hair that made an afro too. Man did people have weird hairdos nowadays. Not that he could say anything though; his father had been the poster child for wild hair.

A few minutes later, he was laid down on the ground, followed by a blanket covering him. Ah, the pleasures of life.

"Who…are you?" Gohan finally asked the man, his voice sounding coarse.

"Name's Hercule," the man answered. "The world champ, not that it matters any."

"The world champ, huh? Must be exciting."

"Well, just got the title today, but as you already know, it's not what it's cracked up to be."

The Son boy chuckled. "I don't mean to be rude, but why are you here? I'm not use to people digging me out of holes."

"To be honest," Hercule sighed, "it's because I owe ya. If it hadn't been for you, me and my daughter would be dead right now. I would've jumped in and help ya kick some android butt but I was scared for my little girl."

Gohan observed the man. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, though she's not happy with me at the moment."

"Why's that?"

"She wanted me to help you fight."

"Well, people's lives are more important," Gohan said. "I don't hold you any ill will for choosing to keep your daughter safe."

"Thanks."

The two fell silent. What ever debt Hercule seemed to feel he had towards the young boy was pretty much taken care of, or so Gohan thought. Once he felt he was ready to head off, he'd do so. Hopefully this man wouldn't take an abrupt leave the wrong way.

But for the time being, he was feeling comfortable; more comfortable than being surrounded by the remains of a building.

"You know," Gohan finally spoke. "I thought everyone would've left the island once the Androids were here."

A silence passed. "Well…I kinda did."

"But you came back."

Hercule lowered his head, looking somewhat ashamed. "Only because I couldn't look at my daughter without feeling like a coward. I haven't been the most honest man around, but feeling disappointment from her is the worst feeling I can have. I've done things that I'll never tell her about."

"Like what?"

"Gambling, womanizing, things like that. I once owned a dojo in our hometown, but I nearly bankrupted it. I only entered the World Martial Arts Tournament to get the prize money and pay off the debt."

Gohan wasn't sure what Hercule was talking about. He sorta understood gambling, but what was womanizing? From what he could gather, it was something bad. That and his mother wouldn't ever approve.

But the least he could do was listen to this man's story. He helped him after all.

"So when are you gonna fight those androids again?"

That question caught the Son boy off guard. "Huh? Why do you ask?"

"So I can help you," Hercule stated. "Between the two of us, I think we can take those things."

Gohan shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Hercule, but I can't allow you to do that. I've already seen people slaughtered by them, and I don't think I can take watching someone else die."

"What are you talking about?" Hercule demanded. "Those things killed hundreds of people today! You need all the help you can get and I'm offering!"

"I've fought with people against them. Those androids killed them all. In one battle, all of my friends are gone. I'm the only one left!"

"So try again! It'll be different this time. You'll have me with ya."

Gohan stood off the ground, the blanket falling to his feet. "I won't allow you to get yourself killed, not if I can prevent it."

Hercule towered over the boy. "I'm the world champ, kid. You should feel grateful that I'm asking to help you."

"You're being nothing but a fool."

Satan gave the boy a hard glare. "I believe I've repaid my debt to you. Good bye."

Gohan watched as the man turned his back on him and walked off. Why couldn't he see that he was just trying to save his life? Nothing would be gained if he just put himself in danger, and considering who the danger was, getting himself killed. Shaking his head regretfully, the Son boy flared his aura around him and launched into the air. It was about time he returned home.

He never noticed the astounded look on Hercule's face as he flew away.

* * *

It was late at night, or early morning depending on who you asked. Regardless, Videl was wide awake and staring at a fireplace. A crackling fire burned within the pit, warming the room up.

After she and her father had left the balcony, they had fled the island, much to her protests. Her father though, he didn't seem to want to acknowledge what she was saying; he was just trying to get them as far away as possible. When they had arrived at the mainland, Hercule headed straight to the nearest town, a place called Coast Town, and sought lodging of some sort. Due to his win at the WMAT, they had been given the guest house of the town mayor, which was more like a large house, if anything.

The Satan girl had her thoughts on other things though, most notably that boy that saved her. She was sure she had seen him before. His clothes told her that much. It was almost frustrating that she couldn't put her finger on it.

Then there were the things he did. It was almost as if he had the same abilities as the Androids. How, she didn't know. Flying, firing those light beams, it was a world she didn't know existed until now.

Wait a minute. Flying?

The first time she remembered anyone flying, it was back in Orange Star City. A boy had flown off from her father's dojo, dead to the world around him. If she remembered right, he wore the same kind of gi the boy with blond hair had. Were they one and the same?

The first boy had black hair, however; not blond. Yet, the hair styles matched. If there was an ability to change one's hair color, the Satan girl couldn't see the point behind it. What good would changing one's hair do?

Suddenly, she heard the front door open and slam shut. A moment later, she saw her father storming down the hallway. He didn't even see her when he passed the room she was in. Worry crawled onto her features.

What was wrong with her dad?

Quickly, she went after the man, finding him at the top of the staircase, most likely heading towards his room.

"Daddy?" she called out.

Hercule stopped and looked down at her, anger still on his face. Quickly, he softened his face before saying "What is it, Sweatpea? What are you doing up at this hour?"

Well, she couldn't say that she was thinking about that boy, since he didn't seem to like boys anywhere near her for some reason, so she said "I was worried about you. I heard you leave and didn't know where you went."

Her father seemed to buy the story as he sat down at the top of the stairs. Immediately, Videl climbed up to sit next to him, noticing his weary expression.

"Well, I suppose you'll find out about it sooner or later," the man said. "I went back to South City to see if I could help that kid."

Videl perked up upon hearing that. "Really? Did you help him?"

Hercule sighed. "The fight was over when I got back. I ended up digging him out of some debris. Odd thing was, his hair was a different color."

The Satan girl frowned. "How so?"

"It was blond when he showed up, remember? When I found him, his hair was black. I almost didn't recognize him until I saw his fighting gi."

She had been right! Both of those boys had been the same person. Very interesting.

"After I pulled him out," her father continued, "I made him an offer to fight with me, so we could beat the Androids. He refused! Can you believe that?"

"What?" Videl exclaimed. "But why?" Why wouldn't he want her father's help? Between the two of them, they'd be sure to defeat the Androids! It just didn't make any sense.

"He said he didn't want me to get killed or some crock," Hercule scoffed. "But forget him. I'll beat those androids by myself!"

"Do…do you think you can do it, Daddy?" the dark haired girl asked anxiously.

"Of course I can! I'm the world champ! I'm stronger than that shrimp could ever dream of!" her father boasted. "I wasn't expecting those walking TVs to show up when they did. I wasn't ready yet."

"You can do it?" Videl replied giddily.

"You know it! I'm Mr. Satan! And I'll break those murderers with my bare hands. They won't stand a chance!"

* * *

To A-man: Mr. Satan is a very flip-floppy character. One moment he'll have utmost confidence in himself, the next he feels as if he just stepped in a pile of crap and he's sinking fast in it. And then he'll be back at confidence lol. Yet, it makes him a very fun character to write about.


	17. The Kamehameha

As I am apt to do with all of my stories, I like to mention milestones as they come about. With the posting of the previous chapter, this story has surpassed 100 reviews. I'd like to thank everyone that has reviewed this story and made it possible. I really appreciate it.

* * *

It's amazing how things change with time. It had been a year since the World Martial Arts Tournament; a year full of android battles, each one more harrowing than the last. And unfortunately, each one ended the exact same way as the previous one.

Standing on a small mountain, 12 year old Gohan looked out towards the horizon. Something needed to be changed, that much he knew. He had thrown everything at those two walking nightmares, and it all ended with the same results. So what did one do when their best wasn't enough?

They learned something new and go from there.

That was where the demi-saiyan was in his thinking. He needed something new to fight the Androids with. Unfortunately, he was stuck in a rut. No idea, no inspiration came to him.

So he did what he figured Piccolo would do. He considered every battle he had fought, looking for a glaring weakness in his technique and strategy. The ultimate goal had been chosen long ago, so no need to worry about that. Perhaps how he went about fulfilling it was where he was going wrong?

Better yet, when had he had his greatest upper hand against his opponents? If he had to choose a moment, it would've been at that tournament plaza, his first battle as a Super Saiyan. Precisely when he fired his Masenko…

Perhaps the Masenko just wasn't enough. Maybe he needed a stronger move. Unfortunately, there weren't that many around. He couldn't think of any moves that Piccolo had that would get the job done, the same being said about the other Z warriors as well.

What about his dad, though? His favorite move was the Kamehameha Wave and he used it with incredible power. Hmm…the more he thought about it, the more he liked it. Heck, even Krillen had used the move against the Androids, though it didn't destroy them. It did put the one it hit out of the fight for a little bit.

Yes, that was it! The Son boy would just learn the Kamehameha. Good thing he was in a deserted place to try it out.

Spreading his legs, Gohan cupped his hands and leaned towards his right. "Kaa…meee…" he chanted, gathering his ki. "Haaa…meeeee…"

Thrusting his arms in front of him, he fired the attack. "Haaaa!"

Instead of the blue beam he had been expecting, a golden one shot out, much to the pre-teen's surprise. Watching, the blast flew towards another mountain and exploded on it, sending smoke high into the sky.

When the smoke cloud cleared away, the Son boy couldn't believe his eyes. The damage was…less than expected. If anything, the top of the mountain shouldn't have been there!

Yet, only a large chunk of the rock was missing. That wasn't the Kamehameha Wave he knew; it was just a more powerful ki blast.

Gritting his teeth, he went through the motions again, chanted the words once more. The same thing happened as another powerful ki blast flew from his hands and not the familiar blue beam he had wanted.

Over and over, he tried to perform the move and failed. With each failure, more and more frustration built up within him. What wasn't he doing right? He did everything his father had done. Every motion, every chant, every bit of ki gathered; it wasn't making any sense!

There was something else about this move he didn't know about, and unfortunately most of the users of the move were dead. So much for learning it.

Falling backwards, Gohan landed on his back, looking up at the clouds above him. He needed to figure out what he was doing wrong so he could make this move his own. There was some secret he didn't know about and he needed to know it. Otherwise, this was just some failed pursuit of his.

And with the past two years, failure was starting to become the norm.

The young boy gazed at the clouds for some time, letting his thoughts run through his head. Sometimes he would notice when a cloud looked like someone he once knew and other times he'd use his imagination to make him see what he wanted.

Gohan really missed his friends. He had been through so much with them. Fighting for your life wasn't the most enjoyable thing one could do but it helped give a certain respect to how fragile everything was. One moment you're here, the next gone. Sometimes, it seemed as if only old people and the young only survived.

Suddenly, Gohan shot up, going from lying on the ground to sitting right up. Not old people; old perverts!

"Roshi."

* * *

The smell of salt filled the air. Water washed up and down the sands of the small beach Gohan stood on. Not too far away was the familiar pink house of Master Roshi's. It was almost as if the outer world hadn't touched these shores.

Along with anyone else for that matter.

Where was the Turtle Hermit? He hadn't moved since the last time he was here, or so he thought. And if he did, he would've taken his house with him. What was going on here?

As the Son boy stared curiously at the empty pink house, he never noticed a tube with a lens on it emerge from the ocean. It turned in a circle, surveying the sight around it before its sight landed right on the demi-saiyan. A moment later, it descended back into the water.

In place of the tube, a metal submarine surfaced from the watery depths. A metal door was opened soon after with Oolong poking his head out. "Gohan, is that you?" he shouted.

Gohan's head snapped up before he turned his head in every direction, trying to find the familiar voice. "Oolong? Where are you?"

"Right behind you, dummy!"

Turning around, a smile appeared on the boy's face. "Hey Oolong! How's it going?"

The short pig managed to move out of the doorway on the sub, standing on top of it. "You know, surviving. I was just about to make a food run when I saw you on the beach. Is it safe to come out?"

The Son boy nodded his head. "Yeah, it is. By the way, have you seen Master Roshi anywhere?"

At that moment, the man in question popped his head out of the submarine. "Did I hear someone call for me? Possibly a lovely lady?"

"No, you old pervert. It's just Gohan," Oolong answered him.

"Gohan?" the old man asked as he pulled himself out of the sub. Looking to the beach, he saw the young boy looking back at him. "Hey, it's been a long time. How ya been?" he called out.

"Okay," Gohan called back. "I was wondering if you'd do me a favor."

Roshi never got the chance to ask him what that was as he lost his footing and fell overboard.

* * *

"So let's see if I got this right," Roshi began. "You want to know how to perform the Kamehameha Wave, correct?"

Gohan nodded his head in affirmation.

"You know, it took me 50 years to master that move," the hermit said. "Then your father came around and learned it in five seconds after watching me use it once. I was stunned to see such promise in a boy. Seems a bit odd to me that his son is having a little trouble mastering it."

Gohan lowered his head as his face took on a reddish tint. His hand went to the back of his head and scratched it, showing his embarrassment. "I've tried to do the move like Dad did, but every time I did, the blast wasn't anywhere close to the Kamehameha Wave."

Roshi nodded his head. "Show me what you've been able to do."

The Son boy took a deep breath of air before turning to look out towards the ocean. Getting into the familiar stance, his hands cupped to his right, he began the charge. "Ka…meee…"

The Turtle Hermit watched intently.

"Haaa…meeeeee…"

Thrusting his arms out, the young demi-saiyan fired the attack. "Haaaaa!"

And like before, the golden beam flew across the water, causing it to give a wide birth to the beam. Waves washed up to the sandy shore, beating on it from the sudden disturbance.

Roshi just started into the distance, as if he was watching where the beam was headed. Finally, he nodded his head in understanding. "I see."

"What?" the young boy asked.

"You've got the form right, but the way you're channeling your energy is wrong."

Gohan frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Clear your mind of everything around you. Emotions hinder the attack, leaving its full potential unrealized."

That couldn't be right. "But I've seen my dad use it in anger before," the boy protested.

"But he never internalized it. His feelings were directed at his opponent, never at himself. A chaotic soul can never use the Kamehameha Wave. Any emotions you have for an opponent must be directed at them, not yourself. Otherwise, you're just trying to destroy yourself and the true blast will never try to destroy its creator. Now, try it again, but this time with a clear mind."

Gohan stared at the hermit before assuming the stance once more. Closing his eyes, he wiped his mind clean of the pain from his friends' deaths, his anger at the Androids, his disappointment in his inability to defeat them, his sorrow for all the lives he had failed to protect; he pushed them all away. "Kaa…meeee…"

Nothing felt different. It was just like all the other times he had attempted to use the technique. None the less, he pushed on. "Haaa…meeeee…."

Hmm…that felt odd. It was almost as if he felt…lighter. As if the burden on his shoulders didn't exist. It was a refreshing feeling to say the least.

Thrusting his arms out, he shouted "Haaaa!" Amazingly enough, the familiar blue blast roared from his palms, flying across the ocean and parting the water to the sea floor. It was magnificent to separate walls reaching all the way towards the horizon.

"Incredible, isn't it?" Roshi commented. "The last time I saw this, Krillen had been training to get over some girl. Pretty little thing with a nice set of assets, hehe."

Gohan gave a sigh of relief. Finally…the Kamehameha Wave was his now; his to use to fight the Androids and overcome them. "Thanks Master Roshi. I don't know how I can repay you for this."

"Well, I wasn't looking for payment, but now that you brought it up," the Turtle Hermit licked the palm of his hand before sliding it over his bald head. "Could you put in a good word with your mother or Bulma? With their husbands gone, they could be in need of a man's touch."

* * *

To brenthforever: I think the fame and celebrity that came with him not only winning the WMAT but claiming the title of defeating Cell went to Hercule's head. Before all of that though, he had a family that he looked after and loved very much, or so I've gathered from all the tidbits the manga and anime throw at us from time to time. Either way, the only reason he is the way he is is because he allowed his ego to sweel to huge proportions. Kinda like the way mine does before someone takes a safety pin to it lol.


	18. Thrown Gauntlet

I have an interesting story for ya'll about this chapter. Around this time last year, I had 25 chapters written for this story. Not bad for about three months of writing. Then one day in October I came home to find the dreaded Blue Screen of Death. Fortunately enough, I had a Best Buy a hop-and-skip away and quickly called upon the vast expertise of the Geek Squad. Turns out my harddrive had failed and I needed a new one. So I got it and had them restore as many files off of the old harddrive as possible. Unfortunately, they weren't able to restore all of the files, including a bunch of school work I had. That I was able to get back through the fortunate presence of hard copies.

However, I lost 7 chapters in that crash, which completely killed any motivation I had for this story. I can't tell ya how hard it was to lose those chapters, but it turns out the crash was a blessing in disguise. I had hit a bit of a dead end with the story and had no idea how to keep it going. Though I would've prefered not to have lost the next couple of chapters at the least, the crash allowed me to take a new direction and I think it worked out for the best. Ya'll have already read the first 17 original chapters of the story and from here on out, it's completely recent work. And now I bring to you the new and improved Chapter 18.

* * *

Trigonometry, History, Geography, how he missed thee.

Gohan stared into the oversized textbooks, utterly fascinated with the information they bestowed on him. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought he'd missed studying. It was so much better than having the crap beaten out of him and left for dead. If only things had been different, he would've put so much more of his time into this.

Best of all, his mother had been overjoyed to find him pouring over these books. For the past week, Chichi had the biggest smile on her face in years. She would always find some excuse to be around him as he studied. Bringing him snacks when he was in his room, encouraging him to use the living room to study in; she claimed it had more room and better lighting but the Son boy didn't care. He could've done all this stuff laying on a staircase and it wouldn't have mattered.

After finally learning the Kamehameha Wave from Roshi and spending quite a bit of time perfecting it, Gohan had grown bored with his constant regiment of training. It had been from this boredom that he had picked up one of his old study books and skimmed through it. Ultimately, he grew fascinated with what he was reading and fell into his old habit of studying.

It had also helped that the Androids hadn't been causing any ruckus in the last two weeks. That thought made the boy pause. It was very unusual for those menaces to not go around terrorizing people. Previously, the biggest length of time they had between attacks had been six days and that was because Eighteen had fallen in love with a shopping mall. She had forced Seventeen into being her bag carrier as she ran from store to store. Many a time the dark haired android tried to blow the place up, only to have his attempt thwarted as his blonde replica knocked each energy blast away. By the time she had finished her love affair with the mall, there was a brand new sunroof in the building. Of course, Seventeen couldn't resist getting the final word and blew the place to kingdom come.

But Gohan wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. If those walking nightmares didn't feel like going around killing people, he was not one to argue.

Also, he hadn't heard a thing from that Mr. Hercule fellow. He had felt a bit guilty in turning the man down afterwards, but it was for his own good. His strength paled in comparison to the foes he wished to defeat and all he would ultimately do was join the ever growing list of victims. The Son boy wasn't that naïve to know the man would try to fight the Androids sooner or later. He just hoped the man had enough sense to not go around looking for them.

That's when a voice broke through his mental pondering. "And how's my little scholar doing?" his mother said as she appeared next to him. She carried a trey with a glass of juice, holding it in front of her. A small smile appeared on his face. It never ceased to amaze him how routine his mother could become. Always at the same time she would make some sort of snack for him, a reward of sorts for his growing study habit.

"I'm okay, Mom," he replied as he picked up the glass, taking a sip from it. Mmmm, orange.

"That's good. I can't tell you how proud I am to see you working on your studies."

Instead of answering, Gohan made a quick note in his textbook. There were a number of ways he could reply to that statement and none of them would stop the Son woman from ending their little talk without demanding he study more.

A quiet silence passed between them before the woman picked up a dull sound. Looking around, her happy thoughts turned sour as she noticed the radio in his room, turned on, and set at the lowest volume possible. "And why do you have that thing on?"

Gohan sighed. It looked like it was gonna be one of those conversations again. "So I can keep track of the Androids when ever they decide to attack."

"Gohan, this is getting ridiculous," Chichi scolded. "The world is not going to end if you leave the radio off."

"But people will die if I miss one of their attacks."

"So you think if you let them kill you, you'll save lives? Use your head a little!"

However, before the Son boy could reply, the familiar jingle of news sounded off. While that was a daily occurrence, the current time was not during one of their usual time slotted shows. And the only time the news came on outside of its time slot was when the Androids attacked. Quickly, the boy hurried to the radio and turned up the volume.

"—_dule broadcast to bring to you an important announcement! The World Champion Hercule has declared he intends to fight the Androids and end their reign of terror!"_

Gohan's eyes widened in horror. What was that man thinking? Antagonizing the Androids into showing up for a fight was madness!

"_Here is what Mr. Satan had to say when he first made his declaration."_ This is when the radio announcer's voice was replaced by the boisterous voice of Hercule Satan. _"Listen up you walking television sets! This is the World Champ talking and I've had enough of your evil ways destroying my planet! I hereby challenge you to a final battle to determine the fate of the world and I intend on mopping the floor with you chumps! I'll be waiting on South Island at noon tomorrow. You better show your yellow backsides or else, I will hunt you down and make you pay for your crimes!"_

Both Sons just stared at the radio, expressions of anxiety on their faces. "Is he nuts?" Chichi asked out loud. Her little boy only growled as he was becoming more and more frustrated

The announcer's voice reemerged, his tone dripping with optimism. _"You heard the man, folks. The Androids don't stand a chance against our champion! This announcement had been released by Mr. Satan's people last night and—"_

"Last night?" Gohan cried out as he jerked his head to look at the nearest clock. The hands on the clock face showed it was just after 5:00, which caused dread to fill up in the boy's gut.

"That man is gonna get himself killed," Chichi spoke as she continued to stare at the radio with displeasure.

"I have to stop him!" the Son boy declared as he raced to the front door, his mother's cry of surprise following after him. Slamming the door open, the boy shot out of his house before flaring his aura around his body. A moment later, he blasted off into the air, heading for South Island. However, he didn't stop there as he increased his power, his aura blazing into a golden flame as his hair turned blond and eyes teal. The extra power rocketed him passed the horizon, leaving a golden trial in his wake.

* * *

The ruins of South Island hadn't changed much since he had last been here. Most of the people who had used to call this place home had fled after the Androids had interrupted the celebration at the end of the World Martial Arts Tournament.

Through cold blue eyes, Hercule soaked in the sight. He had been the last person to leave the island, after making sure that boy was still alive. Well, to be accurate, he had been part of the mass exodus from the island during the attack but he had returned to offer his assistance. That had proved to be a useless gesture as the battle had been concluded before he had returned. There were probably some other people still there at the time but he hadn't seen anyone leaving the place when he did for the second time.

Ever since, he had been training himself for this upcoming battle, this final battle as he called it. Admittedly, the smartest thing would've been to hunt the Androids down and tried to defeat them with their guards down, but the world champ wanted to be sure he had some back-up—namely that boy who had saved him and his daughter. He had been reluctant about joining forces when he first made the offer but Hercule was sure that the announcement would've caught his attention and make him hurry to this location. Underhanded, yes, but despite the boy's protestations he needed help and he would shame the mantle of World Champion if he didn't fight along his side. Plus, that boy had to have grown stronger since then. They could take those two bucket of bolts, no problem.

True, he had claimed he could take on the Androids by himself, but that was because he had been upset. He had calmed down since then and that brought some clarity to his situation. With the way the Androids fought, a two-on-one fight between him and them was out of the question. They fought way too in synch with each other, so the best course of action would be to separate them and then defeat them.

The sun was sitting now and no sign of the boy or the Androids. A light breeze blew by, causing his white cape to flap about carelessly. Anxiety and relief were fighting for control of the dominant feeling in his mind, anxiety that the boy wasn't here yet and relief the Androids hadn't arrived. Sighing, he was starting to wonder who would show up first.

"So this is the guy who challenged us?"

Hercule could feel his blood freeze in his veins. He didn't have to turn around to know who it was behind him. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. Taking a deep breath, he turned around to face his foes.

Hopefully he could last long enough for that boy to show.


	19. Return to South Island

He stared down the two androids, a menacing glare on his face. A drop of sweat rolled down the side of his face, though due to nerves or the heat, he wasn't sure of. In turn, Seventeen and Eighteen looked at him with bemused expressions.

"Doesn't this guy look familiar?" Seventeen spoke a loud, not once removing his eyes from Hercule.

"Beats me," Eighteen replied, her tone carrying her disinterest with the man.

Hercule took a deep breath. It was now or never if he was gonna confront them, though if he chose never it was likely he wouldn't survive the chase from Hell that would surely follow. "Alright you walking rust buckets!" he called out. "I've had enough of your evil ways and I intend on making you wish you were never born!"

"Hear that, Eighteen? This guy thinks he can beat us," the dark-haired boy said, still looking amused by the whole charade.

"I suppose we should see if he's right," the blonde replied. "It's not as if we have a decent challenge anyways."

Glaring at the two androids, Hercule pulled at the knot that held his cape together. When the knot became undone, he grabbed the cloth and flung it off his back. Not even bothering with a fighting stance, the World Champ charged at his opponents, letting out a loud war cry. Aiming for the blonde android, he balled up one of his fists, throwing it a moment later. His punch landed on the girl's face, though she didn't even flinch from the impact.

Drawing his arm back, he flung his other fist forward, landing another blow to Eighteen's face. Pumping his arms back and forth, he pounded the blonde android's face, always receiving the same result as she stared back at him, unmoved by his efforts. Eventually, she caught one of his fists, ending his onslaught of punches. With her other hand, she threw her own punch, which nailed the champ in the face.

Seconds passed before Hercule let out a cry of pain as the full force of the punch finally registered with his body. Stumbling backwards, the man soon found his arm not following the rest of him as it stayed in Eighteen's grasp.

With a jerk of her arm, Eighteen pulled Hercule back to her, extending one her legs out in front of her, bending it at the knee. A moment later, the Satan man found her knee imbedded in his stomach, causing him to lose his breath and silenced his screaming.

This time, the girl released her hold on his fist, reasserting her grip on his wrist instead. Lowering her bent leg down and setting it a step behind her, she twisted her body to aside, pulling Hercule's arm up into the air. A moment later, the man's feet left the ground as he was thrown into the air, landing back on the broken concrete seconds later.

Gasping sounds left Hercule's lips as he clutched his stomach. He hadn't expected to be taken down so easily, not to mention feeling as much pain as he was currently experiencing. Damn it, where was that boy when he needed him? He couldn't take on this sort of opponent without some kind of help!

"That was underwhelming," Eighteen commented as she looked at the writhing Hercule. "I was hoping for a better fight than that."

"He is human after all," Seventeen replied as he looked to the man. "There's only so much amusement one can offer."

"Unless you have any objections, I'm going to kill him," the blonde responded as she took a few steps towards the champ, raising one of her arms in front of her.

"Go ahead," was the reply.

Almost immediately, a pinkish ball of energy appeared in the woman's hand, glowing maliciously as a deadly gleam sparkled from her eyes. "So long chump," was her farewell as she fired a large beam at her target.

Hercule watched with half-closed eyes as his fate came rushing towards him. There wasn't a thing he could do to prevent his end as it closed the distance between the two of them.

This wasn't how things were suppose to go.

It was then that luck decided to smile upon. One moment, he saw his demise closing in on him; the next, the silhouette of a boy appeared in front of him. With a loud cry, the boy clasped his hands together to a side of him and swung them at the blast, making contact with it briefly before sending it flying away harmlessly. A loud explosion sounded off somewhere behind him, though he could care less.

The boy had finally arrived.

* * *

Gohan growled as he stared the Androids down. It had been close but he had arrived just in time to save the afroed man. Unfortunately, he had been too late to stop him from his foolhardy plan to fight the Androids and his outcome was obvious. At least he could say he was still alive though.

"You…finally got here," Hercule spoke up from behind him, scraping sounds indicating that he was trying to get back up but was having difficulty doing so.

"You need to get out of here," the Son boy ordered. "I'll hold them off while you escape, got it?"

"Escape? That's…not what I can here for," the man growled. "We're supposed to fight these things together…and win!"

"You're in no condition to fight. You need to get away from here while you still can, otherwise the Androids will kill you and me."

It was then their conversation was interrupted by the killing machines they were talking about. "Well, well, looks like the boy's back for more punishment," Seventeen called out, catching both Gohan and Hercule's attention. "You just can't stand to let us have some fun, can you?"

The Son boy growled. "You're idea of fun is nothing more than a sick game!"

"That's your opinion; I and my sister think otherwise."

Letting out a scream, Gohan's aura raged around him like flames. Launching himself off the ground, he charged at Seventeen, who leaned back into a defensive fighting stance.

However, before the two could clash, Eighteen came flying in, swinging a kick at the demi-saiyan. Reacting quickly, he caught the blonde android's leg and spun around, using her momentum against her as he swung her in a circle. Releasing his hold on her, he threw the woman at her comrade, who leapt over her flying body as he charged in on the Son boy. Immediately, Gohan blocked the first few blows the android threw them at him. After a rather vicious punch was barely blocked by him, the golden boy threw his own punch at the android.

However, Seventeen used a burst of speed to disappear from sight, causing Gohan's attack to hit thin air. Franticly, the boy looked all over the area for the dark-haired android, failing to locate him anywhere. It was then the area took on a bluish tint, causing the warrior to look up and see two incoming energy balls racing towards him. Crossing his arms in front of him, he took the impact of the energy balls, causing them to detonate and envelop him with flames. An explosion rang out, sending smoke and dust flying into the air.

Slowly, the smoke cloud dissipated, revealing a relatively unharmed Gohan in its wake. He still held his crossed arms above him, which left him open to attack as Eighteen proved when she flew in out of nowhere and rammed her shoulder into the right side of his ribcage. Caught off guard by the blow, the Son boy went flying through the air, trying to recover from the unexpected attack. With his eyes shut closed, he took in a deep breath of air before slowing down in his flight. Opening his eyes, he saw the blonde woman charging at him, causing him to immediately fall into a defensive stance.

Immediately, Eighteen lashed out at him with a barrage of punches. Somehow, the Son boy managed to block most of the blows, only letting a few slip through and make contact. And as the female android threw another punch, he shot out one of his hands, grabbing her incoming arm by the forearm and stopping the punch. A moment later, he managed to do the same thing with Eighteen's other arm, catching it as she threw her attack.

Pouring as much strength into his arms as he could, he held the android at bay as she continued to push her balled-up hands forward. It was then that Seventeen made his reappearance as he came flying in, his hands clasped together as he clubbed the boy in the head with them. This caused the demi-saiyan to lose his grip on his blonde opponent's arms. Fortunately, the surprise blow sent him flying headfirst away from the Androids, causing Eighteen's fists to miss him.

However, Gohan wasn't about to let the two walking monstrosities continue attacking him. Throwing his arms out in front of him, his hands made contact with the cracked ground, allowing him to push off of it and flip onto his feet. Gathering his ki into one of his hands, he swung his body around, raising both of his hands into the air. Using his non-charged hand to grab the wrist of his charged hand, he let out a cry as he fired a large ki blast at his opponents.

In response, both Seventeen and Eighteen raised their arms in front of them, planning to use them as their defense against the blast. Once the beam collided with them, it blew them off their feet, small cries of surprise slipping through their lips as they were sent flying a large distance away.

Panting, Gohan allowed himself a few seconds to catch his breath and his body to recover from the recent action. Steeling himself, he charged off in the direction of his opponents, ready for the next round.

* * *

To A-man: Sorry this one's short too. It just felt like a good place to stop.

To Carlson: Thanks. I doubt this is the best but I certainly hope it's one of the better ones


	20. Fall of a Champion

The Androids were waiting for him. During his moment of respite, they had gotten back to their feet, facing the direction in which they had been blasted from, and stood casually as they waited for their opponent to come at them. With his fists at his sides, Gohan closed the distance between them, ready to unleash his fury.

As one, both androids disappeared from sight, leaving the demi-saiyan to fly through the space they had once occupied harmlessly. Baring his teeth, he came to a stop, his feet touching the ground. Turning around, he soon saw his opponents right behind him, standing in mirrored stances. Each had their inside legs raised and bent at the knee, their outside hands balled into fists in front of them, and their inside hands held behind them, open and glowing with their signature blue and pink energy. In synch, they thrust their power charged hands in front of them, firing their energy blasts at their target.

Fortunately, Gohan had launched himself into the air barely in time to dodge the blasts, an explosion erupting right beneath him as he flew higher and higher into the air. For a couple moments, he was alone up there, but he quickly came to realize the Androids were flying with him, a short distance away from him and on opposite sides. A second passed before both androids closed in on him, each throwing a punch simultaneously. Raising both arms, the Son boy blocked the blows, causing a thunderous sound as a shockwave rocked the area.

Immediately, the three fighters fell into a flurry of punches, kicks, and blocks. Blocking the initial onslaught, Gohan managed to throw a counterattack, which was parried just as easily. With the counter rendered useless, the two androids went back on the offensive, forcing the golden Saiyan back onto the defensive.

It was then that Seventeen backed off from the clash, leaving Eighteen to continue the assault as Gohan began focusing his efforts on her. Without the aid of her counterpart, Gohan was able to throw more counters at the blonde woman, even going on the offensive, though she took this change amusedly. If it wasn't for the mischievous twinkle in her eye, the Son boy would've missed Seventeen hovering behind him, his hands clasped together over his head.

Using a burst of speed, the boy disappeared from sight just as the dark-haired android swung the jackhammer blow. As his attack hit thin air, Eighteen disappeared as well.

Gohan reappeared on the ground a moment later, crouched down as he looked up at the lone figure of Seventeen. Before he could do anything though, Eighteen appeared right beside him, swinging her leg as she landed a vicious kick to the side of his head.

Due to the unexpected blow, the Son boy was thrown off his feet, spit flying from his mouth. However, he didn't allow any more time for his opponent to attack him as he shot out his left hand, his palm hitting the ground and allowing him to push off of it. Flipping, he landing with his feet on the ground, his eyes focused on the charging figure of Eighteen. Letting out a war cry, the Saiyan swung a fist at her, catching her by surprise as her eyes widened. The fist nailed her in her face, knocking her back the way she came. Yet, Gohan didn't stop there. Lunging forward, he launched an assault of punches and kicks, each one landing on the woman, causing her body to jerk around from each hit. With another cry, he threw his strongest punch yet, slamming her in the chest and sending her flying away.

That was when another war cry was heard, causing the boy to look up into the sky. There he found Seventeen closing in on him, ready for his shot at the fighter. Turning his body to face this new opponent, he held his hands out in front of him and let out another cry, a large golden ball of ki appearing. Without hesitating, he fired the ball at the charging android, who clenched his teeth as he moved out of the way of the attack, continuing his course to the golden boy. However, his maneuver left him vulnerable as Gohan leapt into the air, his right hand drawn back and balled into a fist. With a swing, he nailed Seventeen in the face, stunning him in midair as his head jerked to a side.

Grabbing one of his arms, Gohan spun around, swinging Seventeen in a circle. After a couple spins, the Saiyan released his hold, sending the android crashing into the ground, causing the ground to crack and splinter into piece around the crash site as well as create a cloud of smoke and dust.

Taking a few deep breaths, Gohan shifted his stance, cupping his hands to his right side. "Ka…me…" he chanted, gathering his ki into his cupped hands. Slowly, a bright blue orb of ki appeared, glowing brilliantly as it increased in power. "Ha…me…"

However, it was then that he noticed movement in the corner of his eye. Focusing his attention there, he found Eighteen rushing towards him, ready for another assault. Damn it, he wasn't ready for her right now!

Flicking his eyes towards Seventeen's prone body, then back to the incoming Eighteen, Gohan had to choose. His original intent was to use the Kamehameha on the defenseless Seventeen, possibly defeating him or putting him out of the fight. However, if he did that now, he'd be leaving himself open for attack by his counterpart. That left him with one choice. Turning his body, he faced the blonde android, setting his sights on her.

Thrusting his hands in front of him, he shouted "Haaaa!" firing the blast at his new target.

Seeing the beam coming for her, Eighteen came to a quick stop, staring agape at the blue attack as it closed in on her. A moment later, she steeled her face, dropping into a stance as she crossed her arms in front of her. The blast made contact with her arms seconds later, detonating as a large explosion erupted.

Gohan watched as the burning ball grew, carefully watching for any sign that the blast had taken out one of his opponents. He was hopeful, though something in the back of his head kept nagging at him.

And as the smoke dissipated, his heart sank. Standing amidst the fading smokescreen was Eighteen, still in her previous stance with various parts of her clothes ripped or disheveled. From the look on her face, the Son boy knew she wasn't happy with the state of her outfit. In fact, she looked enraged by it.

Then out of nowhere a knee embedded itself in his stomach, causing the boy to bend over it as he gasped for air. Once the knee disappeared, an elbow then rammed into the back of his head, causing him to drop from the sky like a rock. His body collided with the ground shortly after, sending up his own cloud of smoke and dust.

Once the cloud began to dispel, Gohan opened one of his eyes, finding himself staring up into the sky, which meant he was somehow lying on his back. Soon, the figure of Seventeen came into his view, the android floating down from the sky to land right next to the boy. At least that explained where that sudden attack came from.

Once Seventeen had touched down, another pair of feet stopped next to the boy, signifying that Eighteen had approached them and from what he could see of her, she was in the mood to murder anyone and anything.

"That was quite a close one, Eighteen," Seventeen commented as he looked at his counterpart. His comment didn't ease the blonde woman's mood as she continued to stare down at the Son boy.

"I've had it; I'm going to kill him," she simply said, rage laced in her voice. "This was my favorite outfit."

A chuckle came from the dark haired youth. "Be my guest. Just don't make it messy."

"Oh it'll be messy. I'll be using his insides as jewelry and his head as a fucking hat!"

That was when a rock collided with the side of Seventeen's head, bursting into pieces upon impact. The android didn't appear fazed by the projectile, but what ever good humor he had been in had disappeared as a blank expression appeared on his face. Slowly, his eyes moved towards the direction the rock had come from, settling upon the roughed-up form of Hercule Satan. Breathing raggedly, he stared the two androids down, glowering at them.

"Are you still here?" the youth asked, clearly not impressed by the man's interruption. "Run along now, we have business we need to take care of." And with that, his eyes went back to his counterpart and Gohan.

Growling, Hercule sprinted towards the three of them, not caring that each of his footsteps sounded as if a bull had been unleashed in a china shop. Any moment, one of those androids would turn on him and attack, leaving the other to deal with the little boy.

Surprisingly, neither of them did anything. Eighteen was too busy counting the way she would torture the demi-saiyan and Seventeen was focused on how much fun he would have watching his counterpart at work. With a lunge, Hercule rammed into Seventeen, getting the android in a headlock. Using as much strength as he could, the World Champ tried to force the dark-haired man away from Gohan.

That was when Seventeen reached up and grabbed the man's arms, his grip tightening to the point where Hercule began crying in pain, his hold on the mechanical man disappearing. "You're really starting to annoy me," was all the young man said before he threw Hercule into the air, the burly man crashing to the ground soon after.

"St-stop it," Gohan pleaded, looking at his fallen comrade. Unfortunately, Seventeen paid him no mind and raised on of his arms up, two fingers extending and pointing right at the champ as he slowly got back to his feet.

As blue energy appeared on the digits, the android said "It's time you left…permanently…"

"No, don't!"

And in a flash of light, an energy beam flew through the air, hitting Hercule in the chest and tearing right through him.

Gohan cried out in horror as he watched Hercule's body fly backwards, a silent scream leaving his mouth as he fell to the ground, lifeless.

"Well, that's one down," Eighteen commented dryly, looking at the freshly-made corpse. Apparently, the blonde had turned to watch as her comrade fire his deadly attack. "Now it's my turn."

Before either android knew it, Gohan was back on his feet, his knees bent and his body crouched over. Both of his arms were raised, each hand held right at the Androids' stomachs, the palms exposed and fingers spread out. Letting out a scream, he gathered all the ki he could and fired it out of both hands, hitting his foes point blank.

Both Seventeen and Eighteen let out cries of surprise as huge golden blasts enveloped them, sending them away. The whole area was bathed in smoke and dust.

It was some time before the cloud of smoke disappeared, leaving an exhausted Gohan standing in his stance, panting heavily. Eventually, he fell to his knees, his arms dropping to his sides. That had been his last bit of ki he had used and for what ever good it did him, he was now too fatigued to defend himself. His body fell to the ground moments later, his eyes shuts as unconsciousness claimed him.

* * *

That had been unexpected.

Walking amidst the debris, Seventeen headed back to where he had last seen the Son of Goku, a blank expression on his face. It didn't take him long to locate the kid as he was laying right where he had launched his unexpected attack. It was quite impressive if he didn't say so himself.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it, Eighteen had arrived at the same time as he had, completely enraged. She hadn't been in the best of moods when the brat had blasted them; she sure as hell wouldn't be feeling any nicer now.

"I've had it with this kid!" she nearly roared. "First he destroys my clothes and then he had the gall to try and incinerate me! No more chances; he's dead."

"Calm down, Eighteen," Seventeen said, completely calm. That didn't have the affect he sought.

"Calm down? Who do you think you are?"

"You're overacting."

"I'm what? Did you get hit in the head or something? This kid nearly had us with that last one!"

Seventeen shook his head. "I'll admit he caught us by surprise and maybe had it been a bit stronger, we would've been injured. It even hurt a bit, but as you can see, we're very much alive and no worse for wear."

"Speak for yourself," Eighteen muttered.

The dark-haired android looked down at the unconscious boy. "He's actually proving to be fun. I don't know what it is with these Saiyans but each time he comes back, he's a bit more of a challenge."

"All the more reason to eliminate him now."

"Where's the fun with that? We're nowhere near half of our full power and we still crush him." A smirk covered the young man's lips. "I'm curious as to how strong he can become."

Eighteen rolled her eyes. When ever her counterpart started using that so-called brain of his, he always came up with weird ideas. Sometimes they could be fun but that got old real fast. "Fine, you want to let him live, whatever. But he is gonna pay for what he did to my clothes."

Moving one of her legs back, she swung it forward, nailing the helpless kid in the side and sending him up into the air. His body hit Seventeen at the waist, stopping his flight and causing him to fall to the ground, landing on his side. With her same leg, she slammed it down on the boy's torso, an audible crack being heard.

"Are you happy now?" Seventeen asked, looking at the blonde girl. "You broke a couple of his ribs and maybe his arm."

"It'll have to do," she answered, still a bit irked. A moment later, she rose into the air, flying off towards the horizon. Seventeen just looked down at the demi-saiyan, giving a small smirk. Soon, he too lifted off into the air, flying after his counterpart.

* * *

To A-man: I'm not sure that would've fazed Hercule. After all, he did watch as Goku and Cell nearly destroy the area fighting while he was backhanded out of the ring. The ego makes for lots of cushion lol.

To A-man (for Chapter 14): It's an interesting idea but I'm not sure either side would work with each other like that. The Androids don't really care if he lives or dies unless he amuses them and Gohan would probably rather eat dirt than make deals with them.


	21. Lost Child

A burning ball of light rose from the horizon, lighting up the darken world. Sparkling stars disappeared as the sun continued its endless journey across the heavens, giving the inhabitance of the planet the light it provided.

It had been calm for hours. The citizens of Coast Town had been watching from the town harbor, witnessing bright lights playing out in the distance from the place they knew as South Island. The previous day had been cheerful as the town denizens watched their hero Hercule Satan board a boat and head for the once glorious island. It wasn't until evening when the people noticed the lights. Anxiously, they watched the spectacle until nightfall had passed and the lights had ended. A reconnaissance team had been formed a while later and sent to the island to find out what had happened.

And as morning arrived, little Videl continued to stare in the direction of the island, full of apprehension to know the outcome of the battle. Had her dad won? Was he dead? Injured? Something else? She needed to know! Behind her, the wife of the town mayor had her hands on the Satan girl's shoulders, trying to ease her worry.

It was then someone noticed a speck in the distance. Using binoculars, someone quickly announced that the fishing boat with the recon team was pulling in, which caused the crowd to chatter incessantly amongst themselves. The suspense was practically killing them.

Eventually, the boat pulled in, many of the men catching the anchoring ropes and tying them off on the dock. A gangplank was attached to the side of the boat, allowing for a more convenient means to move off the boat.

The first thing that came into the Satan girl's sight were various men dressed in ordinary fishermen clothes. With them, they pulled a table of wheels, a heavily injured boy lying on top of it. Once they had move onto the dock, they immediately pushed their way through the crowd, heading towards the nearest medical facility in town. Coincidentally, they passed right next to the Satan girl, allowing her a good luck at the boy.

Black, spiky hair, a gi torn to ribbons, and blood and various other injuries dotting his body was what Videl could make of him. Yet she was positive that was the boy that had saved many people on South Island some time ago. She'd be sure to go visit him later; right now she had to greet her dad.

Looking back at the ship, she saw another table on wheels just leaving the ramp and turning on the dock to move through the crowd. Unlike the previous one, this table had a white cloth on it, covering something or possibly someone. A large blood stain was on top of it, with drops of blood barely falling from the table. Yet all of this became irrelevant once she noticed the curls of dark hair poking out from one side of the table.

Immediately, Videl tore away from the mayor's wife, much to her objections as she called after her. Videl didn't care though as she forced her way to the table, hoping that it wasn't her dad. That the possible body beneath the cloth was just some other person and her father was still on the boat.

And just as she broke out of the crowd, a pair of burly arms wrapped around her, pulling her off the ground. "Let me go!" she cried out as tears began to leak from her eyes.

"Shhh," the man said, trying to calm her down.

She wouldn't have any of that though. Struggling, she tried to get out of the man's hold, but was failing; the longer she squirmed about, the more she realized what had become of her father. "I said let me go! That's my daddy!" she screamed. "Daddy!"

All around her, men and women bowed their heads, not looking at the grieving child as her screams descended into weeping and unintelligible wails. Eventually she quit resisting, crying out her sorrow.

* * *

Three days had passed since Hercule Satan had been brought to Coast Town deceased. Three days the little boy with him had been lying unconscious in one of the rooms at the local clinic. Three days since Videl had mourned her lost father in the streets.

Standing over the unknown boy, the town doctor checked his patient's vitals and injuries, making sure he wouldn't succumb to his body's trauma. Also, he made sure the machines connected to the boy, such as the IV drip and the heart monitor sensors, were operating correctly. Despite the broken ribs and burns, the boy's vitals were encouragingly strong. In his opinion, he should be waking up any day now.

Looking him over, he noticed the fresh bandages around his torso, his arms, and forehead. A nurse must have come in earlier and changed them, he mused.

That was when the door to the room opened, revealing Videl as she enter the room. From what the doctor could see, her eyes were red from crying and the dark circles around them were from a lack of sleep. He couldn't help but pity the girl as she sat down in the chair next to the bed. Everyday, the Satan girl had come to the clinic, staying throughout visiting hours and waiting for the boy to wake up. The nursing staff had been kind enough to feed her lunch and dinner but would always show her out when it was time to close the building for the night. The doctor could only assume that she wanted to know what had happened on the island and the boy was the only witness to it all. Perhaps it could give her closure, he hoped.

Thanks to his profession, he had been allowed to see Mr. Satan's body when it had arrived in the town morgue. For the time being, the body had been kept from the public eye, though how long that would last was unknown. People were clamoring to see the former World Champion and many had tried breaking into the morgue to see him.

Upon performing an autopsy, the doctor could only point out the obvious: what ever had caused the hole in the man's chest had killed him. He also mentioned that it had been a fast death, though he didn't have a clue about that. It was more to comfort the people in the room at the time.

"How are you doing today, Miss Satan?" the doctor asked, as he finished jotting down some notes.

The girl sighed before answering softly "I'm okay."

Both fell into a silence, the doctor looking at all of the machines to make sure they were functioning properly once more and Videl looking at the sleeping boy. Eventually, she asked "When do you think he'll be awake?"

"Soon," he replied. "I need to finish my rounds for the morning. Just call for me if you need anything."

"Okay," was her reply.

* * *

Once the doctor had left, Videl put her thoughts solely on the boy in front of her. The morning light that poured through the window helped her take in every feature of his face, from the healing wounds to the tranquility of his defenseless expression that currently marked his sleep. This was the one person that could go toe to toe with those murdering machines and live. She was pretty sure that he had survived three times against them, leaving the possibility that he had been in several more engagements that she didn't know of. The Androids also seemed to have known of him before their attack on South Island as well.

From this, Videl was dying to know how he could do that. What did he possess that others didn't? Her father had joined the list of…

Here she stopped her thoughts. No matter how many times the thought of her father crossed her mind each time rendered her in tears. Already she could feel the familiar drops sliding down her cheeks. Taking a moment, she calmed herself down, wiping the tears from her face.

She needed to know what this boy knew. There was nothing else. She needed him to teach her everything he knew so she could help him, help the people left that needed help, and avenge her father's death. She needed this more than anything right now.

The sound of a groan shook the girl from her thoughts, putting her focus on the boy as his face scrunched up and his body shifted. Slowly, his eyes fluttered opened, trying to adjust to the lights within the room. He looked over the room before he settled his attention on the Satan girl, staring at her questioningly.

Videl held her breath as she watched the boy trying to figure out where he was and why. She had no idea what to say to him since she had never been in this position before. What did one say in these situations?

Fortunately, the boy saved her the trouble. "Where am I?"

Unfortunately, Videl stared at him like he was some kind of alien. It was a few moments before she finally realized what he asked and mentally whacked herself upside the head. "You're in a clinic in Coast Town. You were really beaten up when the fishermen found you."

"Fishermen?"

"Yeah, they found you on South Island, almost beaten to death."

The boy soaked that information in, his thoughts going back to the place he was last. It was then his upper body shot up from the bed, his eyes wide as if he were enraged, his nostrils wide open as his breathing increased rapidly. "Where are they? Where are the Androids?"

Videl pressed herself against the back of her chair, completely started. "I-I don't know. Th-they weren't there when our people found you."

Slowly, the boy's breathing calmed down as he laid back on the bed. He seemed to be thinking over what the Satan girl had told him, but didn't know whether that was a good or bad thing; at least that's what Videl thought he was thinking; she didn't really know how boys thought after all.

However, the commotion from the boy's outburst brought the doctor back in, a worried expression on his face as he flung the door open. Upon seeing his patient awake, he let out a big sigh of relief and entered the room. "I see you've woken up," he said as he approached the bed. Looking to Videl, he then added "And you've met Ms. Satan as well."

"Satan?" he asked, looking confused. Turning his head, he stared at Videl, making her uncomfortable. "I think I've heard that name before."

This time, Videl stared at him. He didn't remember who her father was? Why that little—

"I'm the daughter of the World Champion, Hercule Satan," she said through clenched teeth.

That caused the boy's eyes to widen as a light bulb clicked on in his head. "You're that guy's daughter?"

"I just told you, yes."

Immediately, his eyes went downcast. "I'm sorry…I couldn't save him."

A somber mood covered the room. Already, Videl could feel her emotions bubbling up her throat. "At least he died fighting…" she said, her voice slightly choked.

A few moments later, the boy began moving again, this time removing the bed sheets off of him and swinging his legs off the edge of the bed. It was apparent he was trying to leave.

"What do you think you're doing?" the doctor exclaimed as he hurried to the bed, pushing the boy back onto it. "You can't seriously be considering leaving in your condition."

"I don't want to be a bother."

"Son, you have two broken ribs, burns all over your body, and had more wound openings than a piece of Swiss cheese has holes. We had to give you a blood transfusion when you were first brought here. You're not going anywhere until I deem you sufficiently healed."

The boy backed down from that lecture, obeying the doctor's order to return to bed. "Now tell me, what's your name?" the doctor asked. "We'll need it for our medical records."

The boy made a swallowing sound before answering. "Son Gohan."

"Thanks you. I'm going to send for a nurse to bring you some food now. Be sure to eat it all up." Looking down to the Satan girl, he then said "I'm sure Ms. Videl will keep you company until them." With that said, the doctor left the room, closing the door behind him.

The two children stared at each other for a few moments, neither one of them sure of what to say. Ultimately, it was Videl who broke their silence. "Why do you fight the Androids?"

"I'm the only one that can."

"You mean no one else has the kind of powers you have?"

The boy lowered his eyes. "There were friends of mine that did. But they were all killed when the Androids showed up. I'm all that's left."

Videl thought about this. "So can anyone learn how to do this stuff?"

"Everyone has the potential," Gohan shrugged. "It just depends on the person if they want to access it or not."

"Then can you teach me?"

The Son boy paused as he looked in the dark-haired girls eyes, trying to determine whether she was serious or not. After a moment, he replied "Absolutely not."

That had been the wrong answer. "And why not? You said yourself that you were the only one fighting the Androids. Wouldn't it be better if you had someone helping you out?"

"The Androids are in a completely different league from everyone. I've never fought anything or anyone remotely close to their power and you've seen how destructive they are. I refuse to help someone get themselves killed."

The Satan girl scowled. "And you think that the only way to fight them is to only send one person against them? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of! And I had to hang out with Sharpner!"

Though he had no idea who this Sharpner fellow was, the boy would not be swayed. "My answer won't change. I won't put you in harm's way. I refuse to."

"You're such a guy! Trying to act macho when it's completely stupid! Can any of you _boys_ think for one moment and figure out that the world doesn't revolve around you? Here you are with someone willingly asking to help you out and you say 'I don't want to get someone killed.' Meanwhile, those monsters are killing everything in sight. Quit thinking like some tough guy and use your head!"

Gohan stared at her for the longest time while Videl seethed. Eventually, he seemed to cave in. "I'll think about it."

"That's not good enough."

"This isn't a decision that should be rushed. We're talking about risking your life."

"Fine, I'm going to step outside for a moment. When I get back, you better have your mind made up." With that, Videl rose from her chair and stalked to the door. As she opened the door, she turned her head to look at him and gave one last warning. "And when I get back, the answer better be yes."

* * *

Once the door shut, Gohan let out a large sigh. That girl was something else. Given the circumstances though, he couldn't give in to her determination. It was much too dangerous to teach her the ways of ki and expect her to survive one battle with the Androids. She'd be slaughtered like everyone else and that was something he wouldn't allow. Looking towards the window in his room, he removed all of the medical equipment that was attached to him. While it would be best if he continued to receive medical treatment, he couldn't afford to let someone else get caught up in this nightmarish war he was involved in.

Swinging his legs off the mattress, he rose from the bed and carefully made his way to the window. Unlocking the locks, he pushed the glass panel out and climbed out of the opening. Thankfully his room was on the first floor so he didn't have to immediately begin using his ki to keep himself from falling a story or two down. Once he felt confident in his balance, he pushed his ki beneath him and took off into the air.

In his current state, it wouldn't be wise to head home. One, because it was a looooong way from this Coast Town place, and two, his mother would smother him the moment she saw his injuries, and that would only serve to aggravate them further.

Fortunately, West City wasn't as far away from his current position as the 439 Mountain Area. Though it wasn't within throwing distances, it minimized the risk of him being caught by the Androids in his journey for further medical treatment. That and Bulma would surely help patch him up; after all, she was a very good friend of his.

Without looking back, the Son boy made his way through air to his sanctuary in the west.

* * *

To brenthforever: One has to wonder how he managed 13 years of survival when everyone else was killed. I'd imagine they had him on the ropes quite a few times before they finally killed him.


	22. Hi Bulma Long Time, No See

It wasn't very often she allowed her son to play outside. With the monsters running around in this world, she thought it was very protective of her to keep her only child as safe as she could. That didn't mean the boy liked it, but more times than not, he would always find something to distract his attention inside the house.

Today hadn't been one of those days. Somehow, Trunks had snuck out of their humble abode—that being the large dome of the famous Capsule Corporation—and started doing what most little boys did at their age. And the worst part about it, Bulma wouldn't have known of it had her little boy not come running into her lab, shouting about some injured man on their doorstep.

Naturally, the Briefs heir had her priorities straight. "Trunks, did you go outside?"

The three year old dropped his head, looking much like a chastised dog. "But there's a man outside and he's—"

"You disobeyed me Trunks. How many times do I have to tell you not to go outside? You don't know what evil people you'll find waiting for you!"

"But you go outside all the time…"

"Oh? And when's the last time I went outside?"

"When you see those guys walking by the house. You're always shouting about how good-looking they are or something."

Bulma's face went red. Hey, it had been a long time since she had any interaction with the male species since Vegeta died. And no, Trunks did not count; he was her son for crying out loud! You couldn't blame a cute girl like her for seeking out some sort of companionship, especially if they were easy on the eyes.

"Umm…uhh…didn't you say there was someone hurt?" she asked, hoping to redirect the way the conversation was going.

"Yeah! He's holding his stomach and it looks like he went through a fire! He had bandages too! I couldn't see his face though cause he collapsed on the ground!" Trunks informed her, getting more and more excited about his story.

Sighing, Bulma made her way out of the room and towards the front door, Trunks jabbering excitedly about something. When she opened the door, she was the first to admit that she had been surprised. Lying a couple feet from the door was Gohan and he looked as if he had been through hell and back.

"Trunks, I need you to get the first aid kit out of the bathroom," Bulma immediately ordered as she rushed out the door, picking up as much of the wounded boy as she could and dragging the rest of him into the house. Somehow she managed to get him on the nearest couch, little Trunks appearing next to her with the first aid kit a moment later.

Sensing the ruckus about him, the Son boy opened his eyes slowly, keeping them squinted. "Hey Bulma," he said in a soft voice. "Long time no see."

"What in the world happened to you?" the Briefs woman exclaimed as she checked his body out, surprised to found bandages already on his person.

"The Androids," he replied, as if that was all the explaining he needed to do, which he would've been right about. "Some people found me…and gave me some medical attention…I left this morning to come here…and I think I over did it…a bit."

"You 'over did it'?" Bulma asked skeptically. "If you were already getting medical attention, why in the world did you come here? I mean, helloooooooo."

"Someone was asking questions…about the things I can do…I thought it'd be a good idea…if I left."

"And you decided to come here."

"Yep."

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Kiddo, you remind me too much about your dad sometimes." Making sure that none of the patched up wounds were about to become trouble, she began redressing them with new bandages. "Though I am confused how you 'over did' yourself."

Gohan sighed, wincing a bit from a shot of pain from his ribs. "The Androids beat me up pretty good…used up every shred of energy I had on them…my body hasn't completely recovered since then…and I think I pushed myself too much by flying over here."

"Oh, so I suppose you were thinking I'd do the rest of the hospital's work, right?"

This time, the boy winced from the steely tone in the Briefs woman's voice. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Bulma replied, waving off the apology. "If there's gonna be someone to patch you up, I'd rather it be me."

That was when Gohan's attention fell on Trunks, who had been staring at him with wide eyes. For a moment, the Son boy had no idea who he was before something clicked. "Is that Trunks?"

The boy in question jumped, hiding behind his mother as he peaked out to keep looking at the strange boy. "Yep, this is my pride and joy," the blue haired woman said with pride. "You know, you would've known that if you stopped by more often."

For a moment, the smile the Briefs woman only associated with Son Goku appeared on his son's face. If it hadn't been for his overly-fatigued body, one of his hands would've been scratching the back of his head.

It was almost freaky.

* * *

It had taken a phone call to his mother to inform her of his whereabouts. After she had ranted and lectured him about getting hurt, she consented to his staying at Capsule Corp until he had recovered enough to come home. That had settled one issue the Son boy had.

The next one came from the three year old Trunks, who had started watching him from the moment he had arrived at the domed building. With wide, innocent eyes, he soaked in everything Gohan did; usually it was him just resting on the couch with occasional trips to the kitchen and bathroom. However, when ever he did make those short trips, Trunks would follow him, always at a predetermined safe distance. If Gohan didn't know any better, he would've said the lavender-haired boy had probably never seen another person in his life.

A quick questioning of Bulma proved his hunch right.

Currently, Gohan was having a stare-off with the boy as he sat upright against one of the couch's armrest, his legs laying on the rest of the couch. Trunks had taken a position at the other armrest, though he wasn't sitting on the couch. Instead, he stood next to the piece of furniture, his head peeking over the armrest as his eyes completely focused on the Son boy. And for once, the demi-saiyan had to say those large, innocent, blue eyes were starting to unnerve him.

So, in order to get pass the awkwardness, the Son boy decided to extend a greeting. "Hi."

Immediately, Trunks ducked behind the armrest, thinking it would give him some cover against the injured boy. Gohan stared owlishly, waiting to see what the little boy would do next.

Eventually, Trunks peaked over the armrest, staring at the Son boy. It was a while before he returned the greeting. "Hi."

"What are you doing?"

"…nothin'."

"…okay. Why are you staring at me?"

"…no reason."

Was this the way he was as a kid? Staring at strange people for no reason other than to stare at them? He was pretty sure he didn't do that. Almost sure. Where was Bulma when you needed her?

"So…what do you like to do?"

"…nothing much."

"Do you like reading? Playing? Anything like that?"

This time the boy answered with silence. A well of information, he wasn't. Sighing, Gohan started looking around, hoping to find something of interest to get the boy's attention away from him.

"Hey, could you do me a favor?" the Son boy asked as he faced Trunks again. "Could you get me a glass of water? I'm a little thirsty."

Trunks stared at the Son boy for a few moments before replying "Okay." Leaving his post at the armrest, he walked into the kitchen and disappeared from sight. The thought that the Briefs boy may cause some trouble in there popped into the warrior's mind, but he pushed it aside. Hopefully there wasn't much of anything for the three year old to create a mini-disaster with.

Surprisingly, Trunks managed to not destroy anything as he returned with the glass of water, handing it to the demi-saiyan. A bit startled to find the boy standing right in front of him with the proffered glass nearly in his face, Gohan took the water and began sipping from it.

Finally, it was Trunks who asked a question. "How did you get hurt?"

The Son boy swallowed the water in his mouth before answering. "Fighting."

"Fighting who?"

"The Androids."

"You fight the Androids?" the boy shouted in surprise, nearly bursting the demi-saiyan's eardrum. "Wooooow…"

"Yeah, I fight them," Gohan responded, rubbing one of his ringing ears. He couldn't help but notice a funny look in the young boy's eyes as he stared at him.

And that was how Bulma found the two as she entered the room. While Gohan didn't know how Trunks usually behaved, Bulma did; she could tell right away that her little son was in awe of the Son boy, and for what she didn't know. "Hey guys, how have you two been?"

"Alright," Gohan answered, looking slightly relieved at the Briefs woman's presence.

Bulma looked at Trunks, waiting for his answer, but found he was still looking at the Son boy. Frowning a little, she decided to give Gohan a little break from her son's attention. "Hey Trunks, go wash up for dinner."

"Awww Mom, do I have to?" he whined, finally facing his mother.

"Yes son and you better scrub thoroughly. I'll be able to tell."

Looking sullen, Trunks dragged his feet into the kitchen, the sound of running water being heard shortly after.

"So, mind telling me why my son was looking at you like an idol?" Bulma asked, turning her attention back to Gohan.

"I'm not really sure. He asked me how I got hurt and I told him I fought the Androids. Then he started looking at me like that."

Oh boy, Bulma thought. If Gohan wasn't careful, he'd find himself the center of a hero-worshiping boy, and one that wouldn't stop until the world stopped spinning. And if her son's looking was any indication, it was probably too late for that.

It looked like Gohan was gonna have to start visiting more often.


	23. Assault on West City

It never ceased to amaze Gohan the pure unpredictability the Androids possess when choosing places to attack. Some places they had assaulted repeatedly, others once or twice, and a very small few that hadn't even been touched by them since their first appearance. West City was such a place, yet the Son boy knew it was only a matter of time before those evil machines made their way to this member of Earth's last vestige of human prosperity.

Yet every time the demi-saiyan thought they would attack the city, they never did. Either they had no interest in the place, or they just forgot about it, which ever excuse it could be, they never touched the place.

Despite the sense of impending doom that could strike any day or any year, there were things to be optimistic about. The lives of many children in the city had yet to experience the total carnage the Androids could unleash, leaving them untouched by the cruel side of life. Trunks was one of these children and it always amazed the Son boy to see the look of innocence on the younger demi-saiyan's face. In all honesty, Gohan could admit he was slightly jealous about it.

And it was that look of innocence that followed him where ever he went when the Son boy visited Capsule Corp. Bulma had once said that Gohan had become his hero at some point and little kids always idolized their heroes. While he was flattered at such a compliment, it still didn't make the boy feel any less uncomfortable by the attention. In his mind, he didn't deserve such praise.

And that was why Gohan was standing on top of the domed building, his latest attempt to have some solitude. It had been two years since he had faced the Androids on South Island and had flown to Bulma for medical attention. There had been quite a few more battles with those monsters, each time leaving him in defeat. It was getting to the point where the Son boy was seriously considering finding a new strategy against them. Every thing he had done against them had been rendered useless. The only good aspect was that he had managed to last longer in battle against the Androids, but that wasn't a silver lining he was happy to have.

Not only that, but he had been undergoing changes as of late. As a fourteen year old, puberty had been affecting him with a vengeance, causing him to have sudden growth spurts and fuller body features. He was nearly as tall as Bulma now, though she still had a good inch or two on him. His shoulders were becoming broader and broader with each passing day it seemed. Even his voice began changing, though currently it was still in that cracking stage between the high-pitched voice of a young boy and the deeper tone of a young man. About the only thing that hadn't changed was his hair. A quick trim sometime last year had proven to be the last one he needed. Short and neat with a few spikes sticking up at the front was his currently look and he hoped he didn't need to change that anytime soon. It was all that remained of his hair after Bulma had gotten scissor-happy one day.

"Hey Gohan!" a voice called out, interrupting the demi-saiyan's thoughts. Looking down, he noticed Bulma standing in the middle of the walkway from the Capsule Corp's front door to the gate at the street; she was looking up at him, clearly wanting his attention. "I just made lunch!" she called up to him, "come have some!"

Hmm, that didn't sound like a bad idea. Unfortunately, before he could even move to join the Briefs woman, a bright light followed by a deafening thunder erupted to the west. Turning his head, he immediately recognized the blast and what it entailed. "Bulma, get inside and hide!" Gohan shouted, leaping into the air as he charged off towards the dying explosion. Behind him Bulma raced into the building, searching for Trunks amidst the complex.

Channeling his ki, he burst into his Super Saiyan form, allowing him to reach the detonation site within seconds. What he found was a large crater with the ruined faces of the buildings surrounding it. A couple of water mains had burst from the blast, sending up endless geysers of water into the air. Though distraught, Gohan immediately noticed the Androids a couple blocks away, firing another set of energy blasts to cause more explosions.

Despite the uproar of the blast, Gohan could hear their wicked laugher clear as day. The screams of people dying were oddly absent, though it was probably due to their bodies being incinerated instantly. Regardless, the demi-sayian couldn't help but feel his ki rising in his fury.

At that moment, Android Eighteen turned around and her eyes found the Son boy floating in midair. "Hey, our little friend is early," she commented.

In response, Seventeen turned around and smirked at the demi-saiyan. "Hey," he called out. "Didn't know this was your hometown. We would've visited sooner if we had known."

"Haven't you had enough of this senseless slaughtering?" Gohan demanded, his golden aura raging about him.

Seventeen cocked an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure the answer is obvious."

"Don't you have any respect for life?"

"Once again, you're asking an obvious question."

"I think he's about to preach again," Eighteen said.

"I think you're right," her counterpart agreed. "Shall I start things off or do you want to?"

"Be my guest."

"With pleasure," Seventeen said before he used a burst of speed to disappear. Baring his teeth, Gohan turned his head to his left, getting his arm up just in time to block a kick that came swinging. Balling his other hand into a fist, he threw a punch at the hovering Seventeen, who caught the blow just as easily.

Meanwhile, Eighteen began walking away, the blonde android heading towards a fallen piece of debris and hopped onto it, sitting on the chunk of rock. With an amused expression on her face, she watched the two fighters launch into a barrage of punches and kicks, a blur of motion appearing about the combatants. To her, however, she could plainly her dark-haired counterpart had the advantage as more and more of his attacks landed on the Son boy. Eventually, the two fighters separated from each other, one panting, the other smirking.

Raising one of her hands, she aimed it at a nearby building and gathered her energy. Once she deemed another had been gathered, she fired a ball of energy, the ball detonating on the building moments later.

Immediately, Gohan jerked his head to the explosion, his eyes eventually settling on Eighteen, who harmlessly waved at him. It was then that Seventeen charged in on him, slamming his knee into his face and sending him careening into the ground.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Gohan looked into the air, just in time to see his opponent closing in on him, ready to deal more damage. Baring his teeth once more, Gohan pressed one of his hands on the ground and lifted the rest of his body up into the air. Angling his body just right, he thrust out one of his legs, his foot colliding right into the unsuspecting face of Seveteen, stopping his charge.

Bending his elbow, he snapped it straight instantly, allowing him to push off against the ground. Turning his body, he set his feet back onto the ground and raised his other arm into the air, aiming right at his opponent. With a quick gathering of ki, he fired a ki blast as point black range, blasting his opponent away.

The next thing Gohan knew, something rammed into his back, causing him to cry out in pain as he flew through the air. Recovering himself, he pressed his feet against the ground and leapt into the air, twisting his body around to see what had hit him. Immediately, he found Eighteen charging out at him, both her hands balled into fists.

Reacting, the Son began throwing as many blocks as he could as his blonde opponent launched into an assault of punches and kicks. Though he managed to defend against many of the blows, more than he liked had landed on him. As another punch closed in on him, he shot his arms out, grabbing onto Eighteen's extended arm. Spinning around, he swung his opponent around before throwing her away.

Though he hadn't meant to, when the Son boy had released his hold on the android, she had been sent flying towards a nearby building. However, instead of colliding with it, she recovered herself in air, making contact with the structure with her feet. Bending her legs at the knee, she then pushed off the building, flying back at the demi-saiyan with her arms at her sides, making her resemble a torpedo.

With a burst of speed, Eighteen closed the distance between her and the Saiyan, nailing her opponent in the face with her own head.

Letting out a cry of pain, Gohan grabbed at his face, holding it as if it would break any second. This allowed the blonde android to float slightly higher into the air as she tilted her body backwards, her legs once again bent at the knee and almost touching her chest. With amazing speed, she shot her legs forward, her feet striking the Son boy in the chest and sending him flying until he crashed into the ground, sending smoke and dust into the air.

Coughing, Gohan pushed himself up until he was back on his feet. He half expected Android Eighteen to come barreling in on him, but thanked what ever deity was looking after him when she hadn't. It soon became apparent as to why though, when he looked up into the sky and saw her with both of her hands held out in front of her, a large ball of pink energy in her palms. With a small smirk she began firing a rapid burst of energy balls from the larger one, each one racing down towards the battered Saiyan.

Flaring his aura about him, Gohan leapt backwards just as the first energy ball exploded on the ground. Putting his ki beneath him, the demi-saiyan flew off down the street, loud explosions indicating that the energy balls were detonating right behind him, only missing due to his flight. Urging every last bit of speed he could summon, he rocketed away from the deadly barrage until he ceased to hear any more explosions.

Coming to a stop midair, Gohan turned around and was surprised to see unharmed pavement and buildings. He could've sworn he was leading a wave of destruction down this street, yet nothing appeared damaged. Even odder was the lack of people around. Whether it was because people were hiding or had left the city he didn't know, but it was a small blessing to take comfort in.

Slowly, Gohan drifted downwards until he set down on the pavement, his guard up in the event of a surprise attack. Yet nothing was happening.

That was when the Son boy heard a shrill whistle from behind him, causing him to jerk around. Standing several yards away was Seventeen, a smirk plastered to his face as he stared the saiyan down. Settling into a stance, the android held his hands near his waist, his arms slightly bent. It was a stance reminiscent of a cowboy in a standoff.

"Draw," Seventeen said before thrusting his arms out in front of him, firing a blue energy blast at the boy. Leaping to a side, Gohan dodged the beam and charged at the android, both hands balled into fists. Once he reached the dark-haired android, he threw a punch at him, which was blocked without effort.

Not even hesitating, Gohan began throwing as many punches at the young man as he could, each and every one of them being blocked or parried. All the while, Android Seventeen just looked at him with an amused look on his face. "You're gonna have to do a lot better than that if you want to hit me," he mocked, increasing the demi-saiyan's frustration.

"Here, let me show you how it's done." Catching Gohan's next punch, Seventeen swung his own punch, landing the blow on Gohan's face, causing him to cry out in pain. The android then switched his grip from the Son boy's hand to his wrist, the other hand unballing and grabbing onto the boy's bicep. "Heeyeeaahhh!" Seventeen shouted as he spun his body around pulled Gohan's arm forward and up. This caused the Saiyan to be swung through the air and slammed into the ground, leaving him dazed.

With a smirk, Seventeen spun his body around in a circle, dragging the Son boy on the ground until he was swinging through the air. When the android released his hold on the demi-saiyan's arm, he went flying into a dome-shaped building, crashing right through the outer wall and a wall after it before landing on a debris-covered floor.

Gohan laid there for what felt like hours, though it was probably seconds, his eyes shut as he slowly began recovering from his latest beat down. For awhile, he wasn't sure if he even had the energy to get back on his feet until he felt two small hands press against his shoulder and began shaking him. A faint voice was saying "Wake up…han…you have…wake up!" It sounded familiar, but the boy just couldn't place it.

It was then he heard a familiar feminine voice cry out "Trunks!" that caused him to crash back into reality, his eyes flying open as he stared in horror at the sight of Trunks kneeling next to him and Bulma running towards him.

This nightmare had just gotten worse. Gohan had no idea he had led the fight into the residential district of West City, and even worse was that his fight had just entered Capsule Corporation with two of his loved ones thrown right into the middle of it. He had to get them out now before the Androids showed their faces.

"Oh wow, you must be Bulma Briefs," an unmistakable voice pronounced. "I must say, I always wanted to meet you. Eighteen is a big fan of yours."

Gohan was back on his feet in a second, a look of rage on his face as he saw Seventeen strolling through the hole in the building's wall. He needed to get that monster out of here or else Bulma and Trunks didn't stand a chance of escaping.

The demi-saiyan soon felt Bulma's presence right behind him, almost as if she were using him as a human…Saiyan shield. "Bulma, you need to take Trunks and get out through the back. I'll hold him off," Gohan said in a low whisper, one he was sure the Brief's woman heard. He soon heard Bulma picking up her son, ready to leave.

Unfortunately, that plan was ruined with the voice of Eighteen was heard from the room behind them. "Nice place," she complimented. "I wouldn't mind having a home like this for myself."

How the blonde android had snuck into the building, Gohan didn't know, but it had just plunged his and the Briefs' chances of survival from slim to practically nil. One Android, he could lead a way, maybe; not two, never two. And worse, he didn't even know a move like the Solar Flare that would give them a better chance. If he could come up with some way out of here, he'd have to consider adding that move to his arsenal.

"I think this would be a good time for all of us to sit down and have a little chat," Seventeen said, as he stopped in the middle of a ruined family room. "It's not every day we get to meet someone of Ms. Brief's status. Or is it Mrs.? I don't really keep up with the gossip columns."

"That's because you're too busy drooling over the latest car designs," Eighteen retorted.

"There's nothing wrong with cars, Eighteen. Hey, Capsule Corp has its own car line if I remember right. Would you mind showing us your latest models?"

"Ugh, men."

Throughout this exchange, Gohan's eyes were flying about the room, looking for any way out of this place. He always made sure that Seventeen and Eighteen weren't trying something funny as he looked about, his eyes falling on one of them, depending on which way his head was facing. Ultimately, his eyes kept looking towards the ceiling, an idea slowly forming in his head. It wasn't a plan he really liked but at the present moment, he had no choice.

"Bulma, you and Trunks stay close," he whispered hastily. Gathering as much ki into his hands as he could, threw them up into the air, each one pointing at a random point in the ceiling. Letting out a cry, he began firing multiple ki blasts, each beam tearing through the ceiling and continuing their paths throughout the building.

The result was just how the demi-saiyan wanted. As each beam flew through the domed-building, they managed to destroy some of them main support beams and structures that held the building up. This caused walls and ceilings to crumble upon themselves as the upper levels crashed in on the floors beneath them, and those floors crashing onto the ones beneath those. All of this resulted in the room in which Gohan, the Briefs, and the Androids were in to be filled with raining debris.

Grabbing hold of Bulma and Trunks, Gohan flared his aura and launched them up through the ceiling and falling debris, hunching himself over them to take the brunt of the falling concrete and sheetrock. The last he saw of the Androids, they were raising their arms over their heads to protect themselves from the falling debris, a completely human action Gohan would have never associated with them.

The next thing he knew, the three of them had exploded into the air, free of the crumbling structure. Pouring on some speed, the Son boy flew them from Capsule Corp and West City as far and fast as he could.

* * *

To rasta: It could be scary lol


	24. Ruins of Capsule Corp

Sorry this one's so short. I had thought about adding this to the previous chapter but the ending was just too good to pass up. I couldn't think of anything else to add to this chapter so this will have to do for now.

* * *

From what Bulma could see, a good third of Capsule Corporation looked demolished. The inside of the upper floors could be seen from the outside with pieces of concrete barely hanging onto rebar offering any obstruction from visual sight. The bottom two floors had piles of debris in front of them, so that at least blocked one or two direct entrances into the complex. Unfortunately, a person could reasonably climb on top of the piles and reach the third floor with ease, though at some places a ladder would be needed.

Parts of the domed complex looked as if a gust of wind could knock it down while the side opposite of the damage building stood strong. That was about as much as the Brief's woman could expect.

And none of that put her in a very good mood.

After Gohan had wrecked the building in order to save her and Trunks, eyewitnesses who had managed to not attract the Androids' attention said the two evil machines had rose from the rubble, not the least bit happy. They promptly flew into the air, hover for a minute or so before flying off in a different direction in which the three had fled. The best Bulma could tell was that Seventeen and Eighteen wanted to find them but had no idea which direction they had gone and chose a random direction. Fortunately, it had taken them out of the city and ended the destruction of West City for the day.

"I'm sorry about your home," Gohan said from behind her, genuinely apologetic.

"Out of all the buildings you could've fought in, you just had to choose mine," Bulma said. "Just look at it! It's a wreck! Why couldn't you have done that stunt in the wing with the Gravity Room, huh? It's made to take that kind of punishment! Not even Vegeta did this much damage!"

"B-but Bulma," Gohan stuttered, "i-it was either the house or our lives."

"And leaving me and Trunks homeless is any better?"

"Umm…I can help you find another place."

For a moment, Bulma stared at the boy, anger and resignation fighting over which would be the dominant emotion. Ultimately, it was resignation as she sighed and lowered her head, closing her eyes as one of her hands pressed up against her forehead. Somehow, she could never stay mad at these Son men for very long. "It's fine," she said wearily. "I'm sure there are a few residences Capsule Corp. owns that we can use. I'd imagine one of the ones in West City would be our best bet since the city had only been attacked recently. Though if they're all somehow ruined, I will have a word with your mother about you wrecking other people's homes."

The Son boy swallowed before nodding his head, one of his hands reaching behind his head to scratch it. Yep, that would keep him in line for his next few visits.

"Now before we leave, Trunks and I have to pack our stuff," the blue-haired genius stated. "Trunks should be easy enough with his clothes and toys, but my stuff will take awhile. I have to get my clothes, dresses, work-out clothes, shoes, high-heeled shoes, hiking boots, make-up, hair dryers, curlers, toiletries, jewelry, vehicle capsules, house capsules, tools and other necessary equipment, robots, my ladies' magazines—"

"Uhh, Bulma?" Gohan interrupted. "Shouldn't you just pack necessary stuff?"

"THIS IS NECESSARY!" Bulma shrieked. "Now where was I?"

* * *

If the capsule hadn't been made by Bulma's father so many decades ago, Gohan was sure that he and Trunks would still be at Capsule Corp as Bulma rummaged through every single room, searching for everything she considered essential. Perhaps he really should've considered taking the fight with the Androids out into the street instead of demolishing half of the domed complex.

The sun had practically set beyond the horizon by the time the Brief's woman had finally announced that she had everything she needed to continue living. By that time, Trunks had fallen asleep on the front lawn and Gohan was just about to join him in dreamland when Bulma exited the building and announced she was ready to go. Groggily getting to his feet, the Son boy picked up Trunks and walked towards Bulma.

"So where to?" he asked.

"Head to the east side of town. One of our houses should be over there."

Nodding, the demi-saiyan handed over Trunks to his mother before moving behind her. Wrapping his arms around her, he lifted them into the air and began their short trip.

Once he was in the general location of the city they needed to be in, he spent several minutes flying about the place until Bulma pointed out the building they needed to land at.

That building turned out to be yet another large domed building, reminiscent of the previous Capsule Corp building. For a moment, Gohan had to blink his eyes several times to make sure that he wasn't seeing things. "Umm, Bulma? That looks just like the other place."

"No it doesn't," the Brief's woman retorted. "Can't you see the tower on top of it?"

Taking another look at it, Gohan had to admit that the woman was right, though to call it a tower wasn't exactly right. A cylinder-shaped structure, about a story in height, sat on top of the building. Huh, if that was what Bulma considered different, then he guess he couldn't really argue.

Floating around the building, the three soon found a problem with the new residence. Near the "tower" a large chuck of the roof was missing, the remains of it stewed about the inside of the room. From what Gohan could tell, that was the only extensive damage done to the place.

"Well, it's a fixer upper," the Son boy said before slowly drifting towards the front of the building.

"I guess they don't make them like they use to," Bulma added. Considering the rest of the area looked hardly damaged, the demi-saiyan had to agree. Sure there was some cracked pavement and a few holes in a couple of the neighboring buildings, but it looked more like shockwaves had done more damage than an attack of energy blasts.

As the group set down, a thought occurred to Gohan. "Does this place have a basement?"

A thoughtful expression appeared on Bulma's face. "I'm not too sure. To be honest, this is the first time I've ever been to this building. Why?"

"I was thinking in case the Androids return, it would be better to be somewhere underground rather than in a building," the boy replied.

"That's not a bad idea, Kiddo," Bulma said as she began walking around the building. "We should probably walk around the place. With it being a dome, an outside entrance can only be in so many places."

With Trunks still sleeping in her arms, the Briefs woman walked around the building, the Son boy walking next to her, keeping his eyes out for anything that could possibly resemble an entrance. They ended up walking around most of the complex before finding a couple of wooden doors rising out of the ground, looking up towards the sky. Grabbing a hold of the handles, Gohan opened the doors, the rush of stale hitting him as he noticed a set of stairs descending into darkness. Apparently no one had been in this place for awhile.

Motioning for Bulma to wait, Gohan then walked down the steps, using his ki senses to search for any unexpected kis. Once his senses told him what he had expected, he soon found some switches and began flicking them on.

Unfortunately, the lights were brighter than what the Son boy had anticipated and he had to close his eyes for a few moments before opening them to adjust. What he found was a nearly empty room with a few unknown pieces of equipments laying about, the equipment being covered with dust-covered sheets.

"It's safe to come down," Gohan called behind him before exploring the place more. He heard the sound of Bulma's footsteps as she walked down the stairs.

The first thing out of her mouth was "It's doesn't look like much, but we can work with it." That was a small blessing considering the circumstances. From his experiences between his mother and this woman, he knew they were extremely picky when they put their mind to it. At least now he could help move the Briefs into their new residence.

And that would be one less thing he had to deal with.

* * *

To the nameless reviewer: Nope


	25. A Lead to the West

Videl had to say that she was surprised with what she saw. Ever since her home town had been attacked by the Androids, she hadn't seen or heard anything about the city. Now that she was back though, she could see that many things had changed.

For one, much of Orange Star City had been cleaned up, though there were sections of the city that still looked as if they had been attacked the day before. Most buildings that she remembered to have been several stories tall were now one to two stores tall, the highest of all the buildings being three stories.

Though the most surprising thing she found was that her father's old dojo had been rebuilt. Many of his students that had trained with him had taken it upon themselves to restore the building in his honor. There were a few differences to be sure, like the sign that once said "Satan Dojo" now said "Satan Dojo: School of the World Champion Hercule Satan." The symbol of the Greatest Under the Heavens hung right above the sign. Those were the most visible changes from the outside at least.

Videl took a deep breath and then began walking down the street. She had already stopped by that morning and was welcome with open arms. She was even given a room in the dojo to stay in and offered the role as dojo leader, due to her father's previous occupation of the position.

Though she accepted the room, since she had no where else to go, she declined the job. She had been gone for four years, nor had she been groomed to take on such a responsibility. She had told them that if she were to take up that position, she would earn it by training and competing her way through the dojo's top ranks.

For now though, she was content at starting at the novice rank. She would begin that training in the next few days, so for the time being she was getting more acclimated with the new look of her once proud home.

Yet, this wasn't the only reason she had chose to return to Orange Star City. Ever since the boy called Gohan had disappeared from the clinic in Coast Town, she had developed a near obsession with him. It was hard not to, since he was the only person in the world that had repeated confrontations with the Androids and somehow survived them all.

And as it turned out, there were many people that were curious about him. How was he not only able to fight the Androids, but use their own powers as well? Where did he learn to do such things? He had mentioned others had the abilities, so it was possible for more people to learn it. But how did one go about doing that?

Those were only some of the questions that were being asked about him. Though if there were a few things that people would say about him, it was that they were cheering him on. Currently, he seemed to be the only person that could at least fight the Androids and when he fought them, that gave other people a chance to flee. While that was a more common reason, everyone seemed to genuinely like the boy for trying, despite suffering defeat after defeat.

And, much to her embarrassment, there were some people, particularly young girls, that hoped to meet and hook up with him. Videl was a stanch opponent of such thought. Her main reason was mostly due to his escape from the clinic in a very bad condition. Judging from his repeated battles with the Androids though, it was apparent he got himself fixed up; whether he took care of himself or went to someone he knew, she didn't know. It still peeved her to no end that he would just blow off the help some people would willingly give him.

And as she walked the street, flyers of a special dome being advertised littering the pavement, she soon came across a small crowd standing in front of a large window. Approaching the group, she soon saw many televisions behind the window, each one showing a man in a suit with a microphone in his hand. Behind him was a city that had sudden bursts of light erupting in it. In other places, clouds of smoke rose into the sky, indicating that fires were currently burning anything in sight.

There was only one thing that Videl could think of for a possible explanation for those lights. The Androids were attacking another city and some news organization had managed to get one of their braver reporters and camera crew to film the devastation. The Satan girl had to admit that this was a major show of courage for this news group.

"—_and this current attack has been going on for nearly an hour. Residents of Cherry Town have been fleeing from the city in droves and if you look behind me, you can see all sorts of vehicles heading in every direction,"_ the reporter said as he stared right into the camera. As the reporter came to a pause, the camera began zooming in on the scene of the city and indeed one could see small dots crawling away from the city's edge. It looked as if a hill of ants were escaping in every which direction.

"_Currently, I am standing west of Cherry Town, and with each passing moment," the reporter carried on, even as the camera zoomed out and focused back on him. "I can't help but feel helpless as hundreds of people are being murdered within the city. This is truly a tragic day like the many we have seen in the past four years. All anyone can wonder now is where the Golden Fighter is right now. As far as we know, he has yet to be seen in the city, but we are hopeful that he will appear s—"_

Suddenly, the man raised his free hand to his head, one of his fingers pressing into his ear. _"Wait, we're getting…yes, we are now being informed the Golden Fighter is on his way to the city. Niko, turn around!"_

At this, the camera swung around and focused towards the horizon. It was a few moments before a golden light appeared, growing bigger as each second passed. The next thing anyone knew, a golden streak soared over the news crew, the cameraman swinging the camera back to the city and watch as the golden streak flew over the city before descending into it. Almost immediately, the bright lights of explosions died down, which caused a cheer from the crowd watching the scene with Videl. Even she couldn't help but feel hopeful, even as the reporter began praising the Golden Fighters arrival. It nearly went unnoticed as more bright explosions and smoke began erupting from the city.

However, Videl began walking away from the television sets, her mind quickly thinking about what she had just seen. Though she felt bad for the people trapped in Cherry Town, she couldn't help but focus particularly on Gohan's arrival. The news crew had informed everyone that they had been west of the city, and upon filming Gohan, had turned the camera to face in the opposite direction of the town. That meant that where ever that boy came from, it had been somewhere in the West.

So what was west of Cherry Town? Ginger Town, Blue Star City, West City, and Pecan Town were a few of the major cities, but there were also a large number of smaller villages spread out in the area. Since it did take him an hour to get to Cheery Town once the attack had started, he had to have been in a place within an hour's time from the town.

She had research she needed to do now. It may have been two years since she had last seen Gohan but she'd be determine to make sure she saw him again; and when she did, she'd make him regret running out on her.

After all, she was Videl Satan.

* * *

It had been four years since he had last seen her. Four long years in which he heard stories of her father winning the World Martial Arts Tournament and fighting the Androids. That was a long time to not see someone for a young man, especially him.

He was Sharpner, the only boy that could come up and put his hand on Videl Satan without said hand being torn from his arm. She had attempted to do that, of course, but since his hand was still attached firmly to his arm, he felt she didn't really mean to cause him any harm.

The first he had heard of her return was when he was in the Satan Dojo, working up a sweat by pumping iron. The workout equipment at the place was state-of-the-art and some of the best in the entire city. So it would be natural for him to hear the other guys gossiping…talking about Videl's visit.

The last time Sharpner had seen her was after the first Android attack on Orange Star City. Well, to be more correct, he had stayed with the Satan family for a couple weeks before his parents showed up. The relief he felt at that moment was beyond compare as he was smothered by his mother and father. They had said they'd been at the outskirts of the city when the attack first happened and got lost amidst the panic of fleeing people. In actuality, they had fled with everyone else that could and thought about the rest of their family only after they had gotten to where they deemed to a safe place. It was then they remembered about the rest of their family and decided to head back only to find the city in ruin. But that part was carefully glossed over when they had arrived on South Island to pick up their son.

Eventually, Sharpner's family returned to Orange Star and helped with the reconstruction of it. For some reason, the Androids hadn't returned to the place after their first attack and no one had any good idea as to why. Some said they grew bored of the place quickly, others say they were too afraid to attack because Hercule would've put them in their place if they had, and more said that maybe they were just saving the place for future damage. No one truly knew, but they were thankful nonetheless for the lack of attack.

So now the blond hunkster was waiting outside of the dojo, just waiting for Videl to return to it. The current dojo master had said she would be staying at the dojo for the time being and had gone out to explore the city for awhile. So Sharpner knew the Satan girl would come back to this place eventually.

And he turned out to be right as he saw Videl striding towards the dojo at a fast pace, almost as if she were in a hurry. And the closer she got, the more the blond boy could tell that she had been going through some changes since the last time he say her. Oh yeah, she was definitely filling out in all the right places. Who ever thought a tomboy like her would become pretty?

"Hey Videl!" Sharpner called out, waving his arms to get her attention.

She had seemed distracted by something as her head jerked over to look at him. Coming to a stop near him, she stared before saying, "Sorry, do I know you?"

And like that, his entire world shattered. Okay, it was more of a figurative experience, but still. He knew her since they were kids for crying out loud!

"Videl, it's me!" he said. "Sharpner!"

Her eyes narrowed as she looked him over. Did she really not remember him? No, that couldn't be right. Yeah, it had been a few years but it hadn't been that long since they had last seen each other. Maybe all the changes puberty was putting her through was clouding her mind. That had to be it! She wasn't trying to remember him, she was checking him out! Oh Sharpner, you dog; you have the biggest tomboy ever checking you out,

As her eyes settled on his handsome face, she finally said "You do look familiar. Do you work at the dojo or something?"

Oh, playing hard to get huh? He could play that game. He'd just have to remind her who he was. Running his hand through his hair, he said "Babe, we hung out all the time as little kids. You even let me watch your dad train before he became the World Champ."

A light flicked on inside the Satan girl's head. "Ohhhh, Sharpner! How have you been? I can't believe I didn't recognize you!"

"That's what training does for you," he boasted.

"Huh? You're training?"

Oh, he had her now. "Yep, I'm building up my muscles and skill to become the world champ some day."

"Oh, good luck with that." Then Videl walked passed him, not even giving him a second look.

What? Wasn't she interested in him?

"Hey Videl," he called out as he began to follow her into the dojo and down the hall. "What's the rush? I thought we could hang out or something since we haven't seen each other in years."

Suddenly, Videl stopped and turned to face him. "I'm sorry Sharpner, but can you give me a moment? There's something I need to do right now. We can meet up later, okay?"

"Any time," he answered.

* * *

Videl practically flew into her room and began digging stuff out of her luggage. There were only a couple bags and a few boxes lying about the room, just the way she had left it. Behind her, Sharpner looked into the room, watching as she dug around.

Admittedly, she was happy to see one of her old friends, truly she was. Yet she knew the longer she hung around him, the more likely she would forget about her lead from earlier. The sooner she got it written down, charted, and thought of thoroughly, the better off she'd be.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Finding a tall, thin canister, she pulled it out and popped one of the ends off. Tilting it over, a long scroll slid out, the girl catching it and pulling the rest of it out. Tossing the canister on the bed, she then unrolled the scroll out on a table.

In front of her was an oversized world map showing every city, town, and large village in the world. All over the map were X's and handwriting in marker. For the pass two years, Videl had been marking down and taking detailed notes of Android Attacks along with the presence of Gohan. Lying in the middle of the map was a large marker, which had been held within the center of the map. Grabbing it, Videl put a mark next to Cherry Town and began scribbling some notes next to it.

"Videl? What are you doing?" Sharpner asked once more.

"I'm plotting out where the Androids are attacking and whether the Gold Fighter fights with them or not," she answered offhandedly. "I'm trying to figure out where that guy comes from."

"The Gold Fighter? Why do you want to meet him?"

"A lot of reasons," she muttered as she finished her note. Capping the marker and setting it on the table, she turned around and leaned against the table's edge, her hands resting on the table's surface. "So, what have you been up to since I last saw you?"

A smile grew on the boy's face until the point it looked as if it would split his head in two. "Glad you asked."

* * *

To wan lopez: Not sure if I'll get to that final moment of Gohan's life. I'm not intending to but I might change my mind.


	26. False Sanctuary

Ever since I began writing fanfiction, a big influence for me has been Mel Brooks. I just love the parodies and various comedies he has created since he began so many decades ago. Some of his work is simply incredible—and practically impossible to be made in this day in age. One joke he has used many of times is a play on words, particularly with character names, such as Count DeMonet—or Count The Money as many people said lol. With this in mind, I bring to you my own Monet.

* * *

Though he enjoyed the time he spent with the Briefs, Gohan couldn't help but enjoy the tranquility of the Son house. The feel of familiarity and peace was a rare thing in his life and he treasured every bit he could find.

When ever he was home he felt as if he could stretch out and relax, hold no worries of the devastating that was taking place around the globe, and feel like a boy his age should be. A careless existence that he wished could be more permanent.

Yet, not all was right with the world other than the obvious. Over the pass few months, he had been hearing disturbing rumors of a supposed "Android-proof" dome being built in a village a few hours away from East City. In some of the cities and towns he had wondered about, he saw sheets of paper advertising the place, announcing that space was limited and anyone who wished to have its protection needed to reserve a spot. There were some other words and a set number figure as well, but those were the least of the Son boy's concerns. This dome was giving people a false hope and that was a very dangerous aspect.

Hope was something many people had very little of and Gohan wished there was more of it. But in this day an age, it was not something people could afford to have in the event that it was squashed. Such things could get hundreds of people kill and all for nothing.

Curiously, if there was anyone that could build such a domed structure, the demi-saiyan was positive that Capsule Corp would have had some sort of involvement, whether that be as a funder or a direct producer of it. Yet when he had told Bulma of it, she said that Capsule Corp had no relation to such a thing or at least she had no idea of it. Considering that the blue haired genius knew everything that her company did, it was highly unlikely that someone had gone behind her back and committed resources to this project without her approval. Bulma had also added that trying to develop such a material, though useful, would be just a waste of time since the Androids would find some way to destroy it. It was their nature to do so.

None of these were comforting thoughts and had kept the boy up late at night just thinking about it. Someone was playing with fire and they were going to get burned badly.

But what could he do to prevent such a tragedy? With the way people were, he truly doubted that a large group of frightened people would listen to him; he wasn't his dad where he could change an entire village's mind through words and actions.

Yet, he knew his father would try, regardless of the outcome. If one person was saved through his intervention, then it would all be worth it.

That was when the front door swung open and Chichi walked through the doorway. "Oh Gohan! I'm glad you're here."

Looking towards his mother, he asked "Do you need some help?"

Shaking her head, the Son matriarch shut the door and walked towards him. In her arms was a large white box, similar to the one he kept under his bed. While that one contained the Saiyan armor he had worn on Namek, this one he had no earthly clue to what it contained. "I need you to try something on for me. I found it while I was out grocery shopping and it's the cutest thing I've ever seen!"

Gohan couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine. The last time his mother wanted him to try some clothes on, he ended up wearing a pink bunny outfit that was suppose to be pajamas. If a person could've died from embarrassment, the Son boy would've been pushing daisies. "Wh-what did you get?"

Opening the box, she pulled out a yellow shirt with a large teddy bear on the front of it. Some blue jeans came out as well along with a red and white beanie with a propeller on top, but Gohan's eyes were completely focused on the shirt. While he liked teddy bears as much as the next guy, even he had to say that this was too much.

Before he could say or do anything, the demi-saiyan found himself stripped of his gi and somehow put into the outfit. He must have blacked out during the whole thing as he didn't remember how or when his mother had undressed and redressed him but regardless, there he was wearing it. With the smiling teddy bear on front and the propeller on the beanie spinning around, the boy had to say he hadn't felt this embarrassed since the bunny pajamas.

"That's just adorable!" Chichi exclaimed, holding her hands together as she gazed at her work. "I just know you'll be wearing this when you're out and about."

Gohan could feel a piece of him die on the inside.

* * *

A lush green forest rushed beneath the demi-saiyan as he flew to the east. After getting out of his mother's "cute outfit," he thought it was time to go pay a visit to the people constructing the dome. What good it would amount to, he didn't know, but it was much better than being a mannequin for his eccentric mother.

Fortunately, he had been able to get back into his gi, so he didn't feel quite like an idiot. That was at least one small consolation.

Looking out in front of him, Gohan soon saw a speck in the distance. The closer he got to it, the more he could see it was in the shape of a dome. This must be the place he was heading towards.

Looking beneath him, he couldn't help but look amazed. Though there was forest beneath him, he could see many colorful vehicles making their way through the underbrush, heading for the dome and the safety it provided. What more, there was a strip of land that was empty of trees and brush, a paved road laying in the middle of it heading for the dome as well. On the road itself, it was packed with bumper to bumper traffic. Apparently a lot of people wanted inside of this building.

A frown covered the Son boy's face. This needed to be stopped.

Putting on a bit more speed, he sped over to the large shelter, landing behind a few trees next to it so as to not draw too much attention. Making sure no one had seen him and was starting a panic, he stepped out from behind them and walked towards the entrance of the dome.

Immediately, he saw a massive crowd of people, every one of them shouting to be allowed within the complex. While Gohan hadn't wanted to cause a panic amidst these people, it seemed his efforts were for naught. These people were already going nuts and he wasn't even the one causing it.

But despite the hundreds of people trying to push their way in, there was a large concrete barricade keeping them at bay. It stood off about twenty yards in front of the building, leaving a small clearing in front of it. Metal posts stuck out of the ground with what appeared to be red velvet ropes hanging in the gaps between them. A red carpet had been rolled out from the entrance of the dome complex and out to the barricade. On the carpet, couples in expensive clothes and jewelry walked with a snobbish gait, as if the world revolved around them.

A deeper frown covered Gohan's face. Who ever built this place had advertised its existence all over the place, inviting everyone to live within it and the only people that were being allowed in were rich people? There was something not right about this scene.

"Why tell all these people to come here if they aren't gonna let them in?" the boy asked out loud.

Though it was meant to be a rhetorical question, someone felt like they had to answer. "Because they're crooks, that's what."

Turning his head, Gohan found a tall woman with long brown hair and a scowl on her face. "Let me guess, you're here to live in the shelter, right?"

Gohan began scratching the back of his head. "Actually, I'm not."

"Then why did you bother coming?"

"Mango!" a voice reprimanded. Both Gohan and the woman turned to see a smaller girl with short blonde hair that was pulled into a ponytail. A stern look was on her face as her hands rested on her hips. "You don't have to be rude to everyone you meet," she reproved.

"How was I being rude?" Mango replied. "He said he wasn't here to go into the shelter and I just asked why he was here."

"You could've been nicer about it."

Mango rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Suddenly, the girl was right in front of the demi-saiyan, her hands pressed against each other as she held them in front of her. "I'm sorry about my friend, she thinks she's the only person that doesn't have to use manners." Moving one of her hands to her side, the other one extended out in front of her. "My name is Cherry, nice to meet you."

"Umm, hi," Gohan replied, dumbfounded. Taking her hand, he gave it a light shake. "I'm Gohan."

"Gohan?" Mango spoke up again. "What kind of name is that?"

"Mango!" Cherry practically screeched. "What do I have to do to get you to play nice?"

"Sooooorry, I didn't know we're supposed to make good impressions on people you're crushing on."

"I am not crushing on anyone!"

"Really? Then why is there drool on your chin?"

Immediately, Cherry's hand went up to her face and wiped away any incriminating evidence. "You're just making that up!"

"I apologize for my friends," a girl said next to Gohan, causing him to jump. He had no idea when she had appeared and was a bit disturbed that she could even sneak up on him. Even weirder was the fact that she was wearing a light kimono while her friends were in pants and shirts, though one could say Cherry's was a tube top. The new girl's long hair was a dark blue but she kept it flowing behind her with a red hair tie. "They can be overbearing."

"It's no trouble," Gohan replied as he watched the other two girls try to suffocate each other with their hands. "What's your name?"

"Yuki," she replied. "I hope you don't find me rude for asking but why are you here if you're not intending to live in the shelter?"

The Son boy paused for a moment. Considering the fruit-themed names of her friends, he had half-expected for another fruit name to pop up. Oh well, strange people attracted strange company. "I came to stop people from entering," Gohan said, catching the attention of everyone around them. "This is all a big mistake and it's going to get people killed."

"Oh yeah?" Mango replied. "They why would they build a building out of material that's Android-proof? Care to explain that one?"

"The Androids have destroyed countless cities already. They're more likely to view this place as a challenge to their power and want to see whether the building will withstand them or fall. This place will only draw them here instead of keeping them away."

"Right, like they'd be able to destroy something that's immune to them."

"What did I say about being rude?" Cherry snapped again, suddenly appearing next to Gohan as she wrapped her arms around one of his. "He's only trying to be nice."

That was when a shrill sound was made, catching the attention of everyone in the crowd. Turning to look behind them, a large stage had been set up somehow without anyone noticing. On the stage were a microphone stand and mike and a man in a white tuxedo. There were a few other men in black suits and sunglasses, their large and bulky sizes making them intimidating. "May I have your attention please," the man in white asked in a whiny, Italian accent.

Almost immediately the crowd began pushing up against the stage, Gohan and his new acquaintances being pressed up at the front.

"My name is X. Tort Monet, head of the Monet Company. We at the Monet Company would like to thank everyone for coming and request that you all have patience. We have plenty of accommodations for everyone and would like your cooperation to make this process as easy and painless as possible."

A roar of anxiousness came from the crowd, demanding that they be allowed in the shelter immediately. Due to the overwhelming sense of fright, many people missed the smug expression cover the man in white's face. "I know you are all frightened, but do not fret. Currently, we are allowing the RSVPs to enter the shelter as they have requested and donated fees to earn this right. Once they are in, we'll let all of you in. Just be patient."

At this point, Gohan had had enough of this man's speech. This was nothing more than a few individuals taking advantage of the state of the world. It needed to be put to a stop at once.

With a leap, the Son boy rose above the crowd's heads, inadvertently taking Cherry with him as she clamped onto his arm. Setting down on the stage, the blonde landing with him with a look of bewilderment, the demi-saiyan gave the man in white a disapproving look. "Stop this at once!"

The Monet looked at him in surprise. "Who the heck are you? How did you get up here?"

"You need to stop all of this," Gohan declared, causing the crowd behind him to go silent. "You have no idea what you're doing. All you're gonna end up doing is get a bunch of people killed and I don't want that to happen."

"What are you talkin' 'bout?" the man demanded.

"This place you call Android-proof is just a sham. There's nothing that can withstand their power, including this building. All you're doing is getting a bunch of people riled up."

"Is that so," he sneered. "You may think it's pointless but many people don't agree with ya. Vido, get rid of this punk."

One of the large men in suits stepped forward, walking towards the two young adults. In response, Cherry cowered behind the Son boy, maintaining her grip on the boy's arm. This was the first time that Gohan realized the blonde was still attached to him.

"Umm, could you let go of my arm? I kinda need it right now."

"What did you drag me into?" Cherry whispered harshly back. "There's a giant of a security guard coming here and you want me to let go? Not gonna happen!"

Reluctant, Gohan began to try prying the girl off, which he was having some success with. That was when he felt the hand of Vido touch his shoulder. "Alright shrimps, it's time to go."

"I'm not leaving here until everyone here is safe," Gohan replied, looking up at the man undeterred.

"Either you leave quietly or in a body bag, your choice." Vido opened up his suit jacket to reveal the handle of a gun sticking out of his waistband. "Or maybe your little friend would be a better choice to talk to."

In the blink of an eye, Gohan disappeared from sight, leaving Cherry to stare into space dumbly, her arms still held out as if she still had her death grip on the Son boy, and Vido to look taken back. The next thing anyone knew, Gohan reappeared behind Vido, hovering in midair with his right side facing the man, his right arm crossed over his torso. Stiffing his fingers together, the thumb curling into the palm, Gohan swung his hand quickly, striking the security guard on the back of his neck. Vido crumpled to the ground in a heap, unconscious.

A large gasp rang out from the crowd as Monet gaped. Unlike everyone else though, he recovered his faculties quickly. "What are you bums waiting for? Get 'em!"

Each of the guards awoke from their stupor and immediately began charging at the Son boy, letting out war cries.

Each of those cries were silenced as Gohan leapt into action, using his speed to get behind each of them and giving them a quick chop to the back of their heads. Just like Vido, every one of them fell to the ground unconscious.

This time, Monet stared with a mouth wide open, nearly dropping to his chest. "How did…who are…just how…"

"I'll say again, stop this foolishness," Gohan said, staring the man down. "Send everyone home and don't speak of this again."

"Kid, you're incredible!" Monet exclaimed. "I could use someone of your talents! Be my bodyguard—no, my chief of security! I'll make sure to make it worth your while!"

Meanwhile, Mango was climbing onto the stage, attempting to drag her blonde friend off the stage. "Cherry!" she hissed, trying to get her friend's attention as she crouched at the edge of the stage. "Get off the stage now!"

Reaching up, the brunette grabbed the back of Cherry's tube top and tried to pull her backward. However, at that moment, her legs slip off the edge of the stage, dropping her down. In response, her hand pulled Cherry's tube top down, revealing her best assets to the world.

Though Gohan had his back to this, Monet had been facing the right direction to see this latest development. With his attention completely on Cherry's rack, his talking sputtering until he stopped completely, causing the Son boy to frown. It wasn't often he met someone that would just stop his chatter in mid-speech. Turning around, he eyes found the scene of Cherry sans top, a bright red blush on her face, and many other people trying to get a look. Like Monet, Gohan's eyes found the blonde's breasts and stayed there.

The first thing to happen to the boy was a tickling sensation appearing right by his nose. If he had taken the time to relieve the sensation, he would've found blood smeared on his hand. The next thing to happen to the boy was a bout of dizziness, followed by blissful darkness.


	27. Monet Disaster

Thanks everyone! This story has just passed the 200 review mark. I didn't think this story would get this many, especially at this point, but I'm not complaining. Once again, thank you all who've enjoyed this story and left a little something in that review box of mine.

* * *

"_Tired of living your life in fear of the next Android Attack? Wish to live your life without fear of dying on a whim? Want to have your family living a safe life? Then what are you waiting for folks? Come on down to the Monet Shelter and join our community of outstanding individuals and families as they live their lives in peace and without fear!_

"_Made from materials that are immune to the Androids' powers, you and your family can enjoy our state-of-the-art living residences! As long as you stay here, no harm or foul will happen! After paying a 'small' fee, you too can enjoy this lifestyle!_

_So come on down and join our Monet community, located northeast of East City at point 72 of region 647 EX. We're waiting for you!"_

* * *

A slight breeze blew around the domed complex, keeping up small pieces of dirt and grass. Where had once been a large group of people was now an open field. The inside of the building was full of people as they settled themselves in, confident they had made the right choice in coming to this place.

All of them were unaware of what was occurring outside as two sets of feet touched down several yards away from the complex. Neither set moved as the two people stared at the structure.

"So this is the place that is supposed to be 'Android-proof'," one voice said.

"Doesn't look like much," the other voice responded.

"Shall we put that claim to the test?"

"I believe we should."

* * *

The bright light of the sun disturbed his slumber, slowly awakening the demi-saiyan. Fluttering his eyes open, he soon narrowed them, trying to keep the light from burning his eyeballs.

The lush green of tree leaves and bushes surrounded Gohan. The brown bark of other trees mixed in with the green, indicating he was in the middle of a forest, not surprising since that was where he had been the last he could recall. And for some reason, he was having a little trouble breathing.

Also, he wasn't lying on the ground like he thought he would be. Not many people slept on their feet that he was aware of but it seemed he had been doing such. Wait a minute, he couldn't feel the ground with his feet. Looking down, he soon found himself tied to a tree with rope, chains, and locks. Huh, so that explained a few things.

Gathering his strength, he pushed his body forward. It took a few seconds before the sound of ropes tearing and chains breaking reached his ears, his feet touching down on the ground soon after. His bindings fell to the ground, useless.

Reaching to his nose, the Son boy touched something that felt like cotton plugging up his nostrils. Pulling on them, swabs of cotton came out, part of which were covered with blood. Huh? When had he been bleeding? He couldn't even think of a time that would cause him a nosebleed. Very weird.

Well, that didn't matter anymore. Flaring his aura he took off into the air, heading back towards the complex. He wasn't sure if anyone heeded his warnings, but he had to at least try again.

And as he arrived at the shelter, his eyes widened. Standing some ways away from the structure were Androids Seventeen and Eighteen, both of them looking at the building and talking amongst themselves. They must have heard about this place and thought it'd be a very nice target for their next attack. Damn it all! This was the worst case scenario Gohan could've come up with.

Landing on the ground a short distance away from the two, he stared at them with a stern expression. His entrance though, had caught the attention of both androids as they turned their heads to look at him. "What are you doing in a hick place like this?" Seventeen asked.

"Please, don't attack these people," Gohan replied. "There's no reason you need to kill any of them. They're just trying to live their lives in peace."

"I guess you don't listen to the radio. They've openly claimed that we can't destroy this place. They practically dared us to come. Besides, we'll give them peace; they'll be resting in it very shortly."

Both Androids raised one of their arms, aiming their hands right about the complex. A moment passed before orbs of energy appeared in their palms, each of their creator's signature color.

"I said don't!" the Son boy cried as his anger burned within him, causing his aura to flare up and transform him into his Super Saiyan form.

"Don't?" Eighteen questioned. "Okay, we'll just destroy you then."

Simultaneously, both Androids turned their bodies around, their charged energy blasts aimed right at him.

And then all hell broke loose.

* * *

Monet sat in his office, steaming from his earlier encounter with the disruptive youth. That kid nearly ruined his entire operation, one that had been in the works for nearly five years. Then he had the gall to knock out his best men with one blow each! Though he had offered him a job as one of his top men, even he could tell that the boy was gonna refuse.

Fortunately, the one girl that had nearly attached herself to him flashed the whole crowd. She did have a good set on her, that's for sure, and it was enough to make the boy pass out from a nosebleed. That allowed him to regain control and get everyone into the dome, just as he planned. Once a couple of his men woke up, he had them take the boy and tie him up somewhere in the forest, as far away as they could walk.

And now that everything was back on track, he could now start milking his herd of willing residents until they were bone dry of money. Then he'd kick them out and replace them with someone just as willing and with plenty of money to pay his rent charges.

A knock came from his door before it opened, one of his men poking his head into the office. "Sir? We have a situation you need to see."

"What now?" he growled as he stood up and followed his lackey down the hall. They made a turn at the end of the corridor and headed for a set of double doors, opening them and stepping into a large control room. From here, anyone could control the entire complex, sending water, heating, cooling, electricity, and other such things to the residence. One could also survey the entire place if they wished to, inside and out, through the lenses of surveillance cameras.

"What's the problem?" Monet demanded as he looked into the several screens displaying images from their surveillance equipment stationed about the complex.

"Well sir," the technician at a nearby station began, "a couple appeared on camera 26." Pointing one of the screens, Monet saw the couple he was talking about, though they were outside of the shelter.

"Is that it? Maybe they're just more suckers wanting in the shelter."

"Sir, they were flying when the camera caught them."

"Flying?" scoffed the man. "People don't fly, it's impossible."

Suddenly, another figure entered the frame, landing right behind the couple. With his full attention, Monet couldn't help but recognize the figure as the boy from earlier. "What? What the hell is he doing there?" he demanded. Turning to his security, he shouted "I thought I told you to get rid of him!"

The men in question were sputtering, trying to say they had performed the task. Angrily, the businessman turned to look at the screen again. By now, the couple seemed to be talking to him. Then they looked back at the shelter and raised their arms, a moment later emitting a strange light from their hands.

That caused the youth to get mad and golden flames enveloped him. This in turn caused Monet to stare with huge eyes. That kid was the Golden Fighter? What in the world was he doing out here? And why did he demand that he stop with the shelter?

Wait a second, if that kid was the Golden Fighter, then that meant the couple was…

"Seal everything!" Monet shouted, causing a flurry of activity to occur.

"What is it boss?" one of the men asked, the man looking quite confused.

"That kid is the Golden Fighter and those other people must be the Androids! With this building sealed shut, there's no way they can get to us!"

And that was when a violent tremor rocked the room.

* * *

It had started suddenly without any explanation. One moment, people were adjusting to their new surroundings, the next the place was shaking uncontrollably. Worse, no one knew what was going on. Was it a drill? Was an earthquake happening?

"I wish this shaking would stop," Cherry sulked, crossing her arms over her chest sullenly.

"What do you think is causing them?" Yuki asked, looked around as people chattered amongst themselves.

"Beats me," said Mango. "You never know what's going on these days."

Suddenly, a few people were speaking frantically to each other, their words barely traveling beyond their group, but gained the attention of those who notice them.

Fortunately, Mango was close enough to catch tidbits of it, which caused her eyes to widen. "There's a fight going on outside," she told her friends, trying to keep her voice down.

"A fight?" Cherry exclaimed, not bothering to lower her voice. "With who?"

"Shhhhhhhh," the brunette hissed. "Keep it down will ya? From what I heard, it's the Androids and the Gold guy."

"Really? The Golden Fighter! I can't wait to meet him!"

"…damn it Cherry."

* * *

Flames exploded all around Gohan as he ran. Trees, brush, and the like were being scorched as the demi-saiyan raced ahead. Deciding to change direction, he leapt high into the air, looking down as he saw energy blasts continue to fly in his previous direction, destroying everything they touched.

And that was when he felt as if he wasn't alone. Jerking his head, he saw the Androids barring down on him, Seventeen holding an arm back with his hand balled into a fist and Eighteen with one of her legs held back.

Reacting quickly, Gohan gathered his energy and manipulated it around him, forming a translucent, green shield. A second later, Seventeen's punch and Eighteen's kick rammed into the shield, sending a shockwave in all directions.

Both Androids were caught off guard by that maneuver, the unaware expressions on their faces indicating as much. Clenching his teeth, Gohan allowed the shield to disappear, allowing him to fling his ki at his opponents, causing a strong wind to blow them away.

Both androids flew a long distance away before they recovered, regrouping with each other. "Looks like he picked up a new trick," Seventeen commented, a hint of caution in his voice.

"It won't save him for long," Eighteen replied as she charged at the demi-saiyan.

Seeing the blonde android racing towards him, Gohan shifted into a defensive stance, immediately throwing blocks as Eighteen launched a barrage of punches at him. For once, the demi-saiyan was able to keep up with the assault, blocking most of the blows and only allowing glancing hits to land. Unfortunately, he spied Seventeen closing in on him from the corner of his eye. Tilting his body to face both foes, he attempted to block Eighteen's punches along with Seventeen's. That proved fruitless as many of their powerful blows landed all over his chest and head.

Suddenly, Seventeen rose into the air, leaning his body to his right and holding out his arm. Bending his arm, he dropped down, attempting to hit the Son boy in the head with his elbow. In response, Gohan moved backwards, allowing the attack to fly pass him. Going off a knee-jerk reaction, the demi-saiyan swung his left leg up, his foot nailing the dark-haired youth in the head, causing him to flip backwards.

That was when Eighteen hit him, ramming her left forearm into his face. Letting out a cry, she then thrust her other arm out in between them, the palm of her hand facing him and the fingers spread out. Immediately, a force of energy slammed into the boy, sending him flying towards the ground.

However, the Son boy managed to recover himself before he crashed, twisting his body around to touch the ground and rebound off of it. Leaping to the treetops, Gohan cupped his hands to his right side, gathering his ki. "Ka…Ma…"

As the familiar orb of blue ki filled his cupped hands, Gohan set his sights firmly on Eighteen, Seventeen's presence at her side being faintly acknowledged. "Ha…Ma…"

Trusting his hands up, he shouted "Ha!" firing the blast at the two. As the beam closed in on the two, they both held small, confident grins, neither looking the least bit worried. At the last moment, Seventeen held out one of his hands, letting out a "Haaaaaaa" as a translucent energy shield appeared in front of him and his counterpart.

Gohan's eyes widened as he watched his blast collide with the shield and instead of breaking right through it, it was held at bay. Increasing the amount of ki he was using, he poured as much power as he could into his attack and witnessed as it didn't even budge his opponents, nor crack the seemingly indestructible shield.

That was when Eighteen used her speed to disappear from sight, appearing right above the demi-saiyan's head. With her leg drawn back, she swung it forward, her foot colliding with the youth's head, stopping his Kamehameha Wave instantly and sending him careening into the ground. This time though, he wasn't able to recover in time to stop his fall, crashing into the ground as smoke and dust flew up into the air.

Coughing, Gohan raised himself onto his forearms and knees, trying to recover quickly. Turning his head to a side to see behind him, he immediately saw two energy blasts racing towards him. In a flash, he was on his feet, dashing away from the impeding detonation site.

When the two beams exploded, flames lashed out everywhere, sending along a strong wind that blew the Son boy off his feet, sending him flying until he hit the ground, skidding for a few yards afterwards.

Panting, Gohan rolled onto his back, taking as many deep breaths as he could, his eyes closed off to the rest of the world. When his eyelids did open, they started off slowly before shooting wide open, one eyes completely while the other barely got halfway. Baring down on him was Seventeen, a fist drawn back and ready to be swung. Crossing his arms, the demi-saiyan felt the android's blow as it impacted his meager defense. The ground around both fighters cracked and gave way beneath them, a crater forming around them. Pain shot throughout his arms, causing a grunting noise to escape his lips.

Almost immediately, Gohan knew something was wrong in his arm. Being as the top arm took the brunt of the blow, most of the damage would logically occur there. Any movement from his fingers and hand sent jolts of pain throughout his forearm, meaning that something was either fractured or broken. Being as he didn't see any bumps or broken skin on his forearm, neither forearm bone was broken. Still, a fracture was not a good thing to have, especially in his current position.

And at this moment, he needed to be acting. Uncrossing his arm, the Son boy tried to ready himself to counterattack, but was interrupted when a hand roughly seized his fractured arm, squeezing it hard to send excruciating pain throughout his body. Gohan couldn't help the scream that left his lips, his eyes tightly shutting.

"That's a nasty injury ya got there," Seventeen remarked, a smirk on his face. "Perhaps I should make it worse."

Eyes shooting open, Gohan threw the strongest punch he could muster, landing the blow on Seventeen's face, which caused his head to jerk to a side. For a moment, the two combatants stayed in that position until the dark-haired android slowly turned his head back to look at the demi-saiyan, pushing his fist with it.

The smirk on his face never left for an instant as Seventeen planted his feet to the demi-saiyan's left. Twisting his body, he pulled Gohan off the ground and threw him into the air, releasing his grip as the boy went flying.

Before he could react, Gohan felt the back of his head and back slam into a tree, stunning him. However, the tree he had hit gave out underneath the force it had been hit with, collapsing as the Son boy continue to fly, crashing through several more trees into he hit the ground, skidding on it for several feet.

The sound of footsteps caught his ears a few moments later, growing louder as the source approached him. They stopped abruptly, Gohan sensing the presence of someone he wished wasn't there. "And what do we have here?" the familiar voice of Eighteen spoke before one of her feet collided with his side, rolling him over onto his back as pain shot throughout his body, another cry of pain escaping his lips.

"I think he's done," the blonde android announced.

"So soon? I guess he's getting out of shape," Seventeen replied, somehow next to him, the side opposite of Eighteen.

Cracking his eyes open as much as he could bare, Gohan found both of the Androids towering above him, though they weren't looking down on him. Instead they were looking to a side, Eighteen to her left and Seventeen to his Right. Tilting his head to see what they were looking at, he soon found he was back in the clearing surrounding the shelter and both of the Androids were looking right at it.

"Now what do you suppose we do now?" Seventeen asked out loud, obviously to inflict more discomfort on the Son boy.

"Well, we came here to blow up that idiotic building. Let's do that," Eighteen replied.

Immediately, Gohan shot off the ground, trying to do anything to stop them. However, both Androids had expected this reaction as Seventeen shot of his arms out, bending it as his elbow was held right where the demi-saiyan's head was moving towards. Dazed, Gohan was helpless as Eighteen held one of her hands up, her fingers curled back and palm prominent. With a thrust down, she slammed the youth back into the ground, ending any challenge of his to stop them. The golden glow of his Super Saiyan form fell apart shortly after that, his hair and eyes changing back to their original color.

"Now where were we?" the blonde android spoke again, looking towards the shelter. Holding a hand up, her counterpart mirroring her action, both of them gathered their energy as bright orbs of energy appeared in front of them. Then as one, they fired their blast.

And all Gohan could do was lay on his side and watch.

* * *

It had been a magnificent fight. That Golden Fighter guy had managed to do things Monet had never seen a normal person do. And the Androids, they were keeping up with him, doing better than even the gold guy was. It all ended with the kid lying on the ground sans glow and the Androids standing next to him. Then they turned their attention to the shelter, their hands glowing with that strange light again.

And when they fired the light beams, Monet watched in horror as his screen went to static, along with a few others. Then on one side of the room, a part of the wall began to glow a mixture of bright yellow and red.

The businessman could do nothing but scream as the wall exploded and the room filled with flames.

* * *

To A-man: Everyone goes through it at some time lol. And I'd imagine we all have some sort of embarrassing story that happened at that point.


	28. A New Strategy

They had forgotten about him.

Once the Androids had blasted the shelter, the demi-saiyan feeling the countless number of kis disappearing in a flash, they were a bit surprised to find that the building wasn't completely obliterated. In fact, a little more than half of the place had been leveled.

So then they went to go congratulate the man that had built the place. Gohan wasn't sure if they had found Monet or not, but they ended up slaughtering any of the survivors, using the remaining part of the shelter to trap them within it. One by one, they struck each man, woman, and child down, laughing the entire time. And once the last survivor had been killed, they had taken off into the night's sky, satisfied with their work.

And the whole time, Gohan felt each and every ki disappear, torturing him with his failure to stop those monsters.

It had been a full week since then and the Son boy was at his favorite training spot. That battle had showed him that his current strategy wasn't working. He had once thought the Kamehameha Wave was his answer to defeat them, but his lack of success had proven that thought to be incorrect. It seemed every attempt to consume the Androids in a large blast was useless.

So when one couldn't overpower an opponent, they had to find another way. And at the moment, Gohan was focusing on going through the Androids rather than all over them. A piercing attack with enough power to tear right through their hardened exteriors was his new approach. It hadn't taken him very long to figure out what technique he would need either.

Once upon a time, when he was only a child, he had been witness to an incredible battle, the likes of which have never been seen before and since. His father and future mentor had taken on a Saiyan warrior by the name of Raditz and were getting pulverized. It wasn't until his mentor used his strongest attack that gave them a shot at victory, the Special Beam Cannon. That technique had killed Raditz and his father in one shot, proving its power and lethalness.

This was the move Gohan intended to learn and master. Once again, he was calling upon Piccolo's teachings to help him through his trouble times. It wasn't that long ago that the young man had sought the use of his father's ultimate technique, learning quickly that he was performing it incorrectly by the move's creator. Now though, Gohan was certain he could learn this move, especially since he had been directly taught by the man whose technique he was intending on emulating.

This time though, instead of immediately trying to perform the move, the Son boy sat on a high ridge, his legs crossed beneath him and his arms crossed in front of this chest. On one of his arms was a cast, which was attempting to heal the fractured bone beneath it. At the moment, the youth was going through all the teachings he had gone through with Piccolo, especially the ones concerning the Masenko. The key to the Special Beam Cannon would be within them, much like the Kamehameha had been in Master Roshi's; admittedly, he had never trained under the hermit previously, but his influence had been in his father's fighting style.

When he had learned the Masenko, Piccolo had stressed focus. Focus on the opponent, on emotions, on action, which ever it was, he didn't care. Then with that focus, directing one's power at it to destroy it was the next and final step. When he had first performed it, he had been using rage to destroy the Saiyan Nappa. Unfortunately, his inexperience and Nappa's own strength prevented the move from achieving its goal.

At the moment, Gohan was sure a similar mindset was needed. Focus on an opponent and directing one's power, be it emotional or not. However, he was sure that there was something else involved. What it was, he wasn't completely sure on but thinking on it and considering possibilities were better than fruitlessly trying to perform it.

Already, he had tried it twice, both times being unsuccessful. A large boulder was proof of that as two large holes made it look more like Swiss cheese instead of a rock.

Currently, the demi-saiyan was looking at where his focus should be. Originally, he had put his focus on the Androids, using them as his "test dummies" so to speak. While they were certainly a part of this move's motivation, he was considering an additional focus. That focus was currently of where to direction the destructive energies he was calling upon.

Raising his uninjured hand, he held it in front of his forehead, his index and middle finger extended. Taking his imagined target and fueling his desire to defeat them, he focused all of these into the tips of his extended fingers. For a moment, he a jolt of electricity sweep over the fingers, but it was long enough for him to notice it. Pouring more of his focus into it, he began to feel more and more bolts gathering into his fingertips.

This was definitely different from his previous attempts. The first had much power and certainly packed a punch, but the blast did not produce the signature beam with a swirling second. The second one was almost as strong and had a familiar feel to that of his Masenko, but once again did not produce the attack. Also, neither attempt had created the activity that was currently occurring with the warrior; a good enough of a sign as any he had seen.

Using his reserves of ki, which wasn't being used in his attack, he floated off the ground until he was able to unfold his legs and stand on the grassy surface. Steeling his stance, he threw his fingers out, aiming them at them right at the boulder.

"Special Beam Cannon!" he shouted as he fired the attack, the familiar thin beam with swirling counterpart flying from his fingertips until it collided with the rock. A loud explosion occurred, sending up a smokescreen and pieces of rock in different directions.

Gohan waited patiently as the smoke dissipated, revealing the damage he had done. Despite the power he knew the attack to possess, the only damage to the boulder was to its face, a crater indicating where the attack had landed.

Alright, so that beam cannon lacked the full power it could obtain; a partial success instead of a failure. All he had to do now was tweak his method and technique and he'd be firing his mentor's deadliest attack in no time.

A twinge of pain suddenly ran up his arm, causing him to wince. It had been quite some time since the demi-saiyan had a lasting injury like this. Usually a few days of rest and he'd be back at a hundred percent. When ever he had an injury more severe, he'd take a senzu bean and be fully recovered. However, the most serious injury to date had been some broken ribs, an injury that one couldn't do much but wait until it healed. His arm on the other hand could be bound, expediting the process. Unfortunately, he was out of senzus for awhile.

Wait, didn't Krillen or the others say something about a guy named Korin growing these beans? Yeah, they must've mentioned it a few times since they were usually the ones to go get them. Where did they say he lived again? Hmm, was it somewhere around the Lookout? Why couldn't he remember? Well, that was the only place coming to mind so he might as well check it out. If it wasn't around there, he could always ask Mr. Popo or Master Roshi.

Flaring his ki, he took off into the air.

* * *

"It's been quite some time since I had last seen you Gohan," Korin remarked as he looked up at the youth. "Been rather busy I'd imagine."

Scratching the back of his head, a grin coming to his face, the demi-saiyan responded with "You can say that."

When the Son boy had flown off to the Lookout, he hadn't expected the tower he found under it to be Korin's Tower. He'd always known it was there, but it had never occurred to him that it had another use as a residence than just a structure to keep the Lookout at the top of the world. Now that he thought about it, the Lookout didn't even rest on it, so that theory didn't even make any sense. But he was here now and the rest didn't matter at this point.

"So what brings you to my tower?" the elderly cat inquired, holding his wooden staff carelessly.

"I was hoping you had some senzu beans," the boy replied. "That is if there's any lying around."

"Senzus, huh? Is that all? I would've thought you'd come here sooner for those."

"Well, I have been distracted…"

"It's alright Junior," Korin said before walking towards a large pot. "I've been watching you closely these last five years and I have to say that you've come a long way."

Gohan sighed. "But it's not enough to beat the Androids."

"Couldn't really say. The Androids don't have a ki signature as you know, so what they're true power is I have no earthly clue. Also, they prefer to fight as a team rather than one-on-one, so that makes it even harder. Wish I could give you better information, but that's the best I got."

Lifting the top off the pot, the cat looked into it. "Well, you're in luck," he said before leaning into the pot, nearly disappearing into it. When he came out, one of his hands were closed, holding an unknown amount of beans. Pulling a small brown bag out of nowhere, he carefully dropped the beans into it. "I have eight for ya, though looking at your arm, you may consider using one now."

Tossing the bag over to the boy, Gohan caught it easily. Opening it, he reached in and pulled out one of the senzus and promptly ate it. A moment passed before he felt a rush of energy rush through out him, causing his body to subtly expand, contracting down a second later. Looking to his formerly injured arm, he clenched his hand, focusing his ki into the arm. Almost instantly, the cast shattered, revealing his newly healed arm.

"Thanks Korin!" the Son boy exclaimed. "I feel better than ever!"

"No problem, Junior," Korin replied. "But I should warn you, don't use them all at once. The tree hasn't been growing many of them lately. I'll try to keep a few aside to give ya but don't be expecting more than what I've given ya."

"I'll remember that," Gohan said before waving a hand. "I'll see you later." With that, he leapt off of the edge of the tower, flaring his ki as he began his flight home.

* * *

To wunsleh: Gohan should be 14 or 15 by now. I'd lean more to 14 though.

To brenthforever: Well, if they weren't dead from the initial attack, they're dead now lol.


	29. From Child to Adult

His father was a genius.

While it could be said that Son Goku was a few crayons short of a full box, the man knew how to fight and train. Using weighted training clothing while performing everyday activities was a great wait to train one's body. The added weight helped build up muscle that would create greater strength and increase reflexes. With a daily regiment of exercise, one could seriously increase their strength and stamina.

Gohan had never really taken fighting or training seriously. Yes, he would put as much time into it as he could when his father was alive and his mother made sure he studied his butt off, but that was more for fun. When one lived in the middle of the country, the nearest neighbor being miles off in any direction, one had to find someway to entertain their self and training was one method Gohan had found enjoyable. He had idolized his father and Piccolo, always trying to imitate them and their work ethic and style.

Insert two murderous androids and a decimated population later, and fighting ceased being fun and more about survival. It was one thing to pretend fighting along side people you respect; it was another to see them fall with you being the only one left to face the growing devastation.

So when his mother sent him into the attic to search for some of his old clothes, he had stumbled upon some of his father's old training gear, specifically his weighted shirt, armbands, and boots.

When Gohan had first seen them as a child, he didn't see them as odd or special. They were his father's everyday clothes and if he didn't wear them, then he looked out of place. He was like a turtle without its protective shell. Almost on impulse, Gohan put them one, immediately feeling weighed down.

Once he had donned the clothes, the Son boy had spent the rest of the day doing varies exercises and chores. He knew better then to expect immediate results, so he figured he'd need more time before he noticed anything different.

Yet, something felt off. Upon returning to the box he had found the weighted clothing in, he found a spare gi of his father's, it's familiar orange color making giving the boy a nostalgic feeling.

Though he had grown much since he saw his father laying on his deathbed, the demi-saiyan knew he wasn't nearly as tall as his father was, though he was getting close. It was more than likely that this spare gi was a little big for him. That didn't stop him, though, from taking it out and putting on the orange pants and gi top, and tying the blue sash around his waist.

Just as he thought, it was too big, but only just barely. Tucking in the bottom of the gi pants wouldn't be too much trouble, and the sash kept the waist from sliding down his legs. He couldn't do much with the bagginess though, the same with the shirt, even though the sleeves kept threatening to slide off his shoulders.

Just then, he heard a knock at his door, followed by it opening and Chichi sticking her head into the room. "Gohan, dinner's almost—"

And that's where she stopped as she got a good look at Gohan. "Oh my, you look just like your father," she spoke, completely mesmerized. Then, what ever spell she had been under disappeared as she was suddenly right next to him, looking him over. "Well, it's a bit baggy, but we can fix that," she muttered, as she pulled on various parts of the outfit. "Where did you find this?" she finally asked her son.

"I found it in the attic," Gohan responded. "It was just lying there and I thought I'd try it on."

Chichi nodded her approval. "It needs a little work but I think I can get it to fit you."

"Really?" the Son boy exclaimed, a giddy feeling rising in his stomach.

"You bet. Just give it to me and I'll take care of it all."

* * *

Alright, Videl had just about had enough of this.

It had been nearly been a year since she had returned to Orange Star City and establishing herself within the Satan Dojo, and every moment of it had Sharpner following her at her heels as if he were an attention-starved puppy. It was annoying and she was just about ready to punt him to parts unknown.

Today though, was turning out to be a blessing. The city had asked the members of the dojo to help and clean up litter from the city streets and the head of the dojo had agreed; he claimed that members had to hold strong ties to the city and not just their bodies. So after everyone was put into groups, they were set out to clean up anything and everything they could pick up and throw into their bags. Fortunately, Videl had been placed into a different group from Sharpner and she couldn't help but feel relieved by this.

Plus, despite the good deed the dojo was doing for the city, it was a nice way to spend the day outside and receive a slight workout. Bending down to repeatedly pick up sheets of torn paper and thrown-aside plastics was creating a burning sensation in her abdominal muscles.

Picking up one such sheet of paper, she couldn't help but read some of the words on it, grimacing a second later. Many of the scattered sheets of paper were from the Monet Shelter that had been destroyed several months ago and Videl couldn't help the sick feeling welling up into her stomach. People had gone there to get away from the ever present threat of the Androids only to inadvertently draw them to them and die for it. It had definitely gotten rid of any idea that there was an Android-proof building material. There wasn't an individual or company that wanted a repeat of that event.

Stuffing the sheet into her garbage bag, she located a few more sheets advertising the doomed shelter still taped to a building and walked towards them, tearing them off the wall and adding them to her growing collection.

"Sobering, isn't it?" a deep voice said, causing her to look behind her. There stood a large man in a fighting gi. He had a shaggy beard on his face and a nearly bald head, which prompted many a joke about him growing hair on the wrong part of his head. Fortunately, he took all jokes with good humor, even making some of his own. This was the current dojo master of Satan Dojo, Master Shu.

"Yeah," was all the Satan girl replied with.

"Unfortunately, that is the way life is," the dojo master continued. "Such trials do not last forever, however."

"Only in fairytales," Videl muttered, though she was sure the elder man heard it. He was just the sort of man not to let such comments bother him.

"Some people even fight to make sure that the status quo changes," Shu said. "That young friend of yours—"

"_He's_ not my friend," the girl growled.

The old man chuckled. "My apologies; there is a young man that you know of that fights to end this portion of history. It's people like that that will help our world get pass these troubling times."

Moving down the street, the dojo master made his way to continue their task, his student following him. "Look all around you; there are people that despite the ever present threat wish to continue their lives. They've adapted to such conditions, waiting for a time in which they do not have to look over their shoulders in fear. Such a time will come, that I am sure of."

"And how do you know this?"

"Nothing lasts forever."

Videl fell into a silence. That was an optimistic viewpoint to look at their current situation. But it wasn't like the Androids would die of old age though. They were machines after all and they were immune to such hindrances whereas humans were killed by something as small as a bacteria or virus. Of course, this was also assuming that no one would ever become strong enough to defeat the Androids either. Anyone that faced them would end up dead; well, except for that one guy…

And she did not just think about that idiot.

Eventually, Master Shu interrupted her thoughts. "So when do you plan on leaving the dojo?"

That startled the girl. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Quite a few of us know of your recordings of the Android attacks, but that is not all you record," Shu explained. "I was just curious if you would be furthering your research by moving towards a new city."

A blush crossed the Satan girl's face. She hadn't realized she'd been that obvious with her current pursuit. "I-I'm not sure," she stuttered. "I noticed the Golden Fighter arriving at Android Attacks sooner when they attack in the west and I want to be sure I know a precise area before I go that way. I don't want to make a trip there for nothing."

"Understandable. As I said when you arrived at the dojo, we are open to you no matter where you go or how long you intend to stay."

A smile graced Videl's lips. "Thank you."

* * *

To Wunsleh: Glad you enjoyed lol


	30. Progress

It had been three months since her talk with Master Shu and Videl had been traveling for two of them. With his support and "subtle" prompting, she had set out to the west in hopes of tracking Gohan down. What she did after that, she didn't really have a clue but she figured that what ever happen would be appropriate.

The only bad part of the trip was that Sharpner decided to tag along.

Upon hearing about the Satan girl's plan to leave on a trip during her Going-Away Party, the blond boy had hastily packed a travel bag and had been waiting for her when she left the dojo doors. Though she tried to persuade him not to come, he was adamant to follow her.

And like the male machismo he was, he ended up getting them lost on their way to Blue Star City. After running through several villages where he refused to accept directions, Videl finally put her foot down, figuratively and literally on his foot. After asking a few of the village folk, she found out they weren't anywhere near that city, but were only about an hour away from Pecan Town. Not her original choice, in fact it was further west than Blue Star was, but it was in the general area she had theorized Gohan had come from.

Pecan Town turned out to be a bust though, many of the residents claiming to have never seen the Golden Fighter. So with that, she and Sharpner turned to Ginger Town.

And that was where the duo found themselves. Throughout their travels from Pecan Town, they fell witness to the destruction the Androids had wrought on this region. For a solid two years, both monsters had focused their attention on this place and many of the scars had yet to fade. Videl felt it was the fact that Gohan was living in this region and the Androids wanted to rile him up with the destruction of his home. Or kill him. Not that he was to blame for everything but it would explain their fascination with the region for that much time.

"So do you want to split up and look for the Golden Fighter guy like last time?" Sharpner asked as he took in the poor state of the town. Ginger Town had once been a prosperous suburb of West City, many people referring it to as West City Jr. However, there had been enough distance between the two for the town to be recognized as its own place. Though that distance had closed as West City branched out towards it, it would have completely closed it had the Androids not attacked.

"Good idea, glad you thought of it," Videl replied, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "I'll start on this block while you start on the next one. We'll meet up sometime later."

"Videl? Is that you?"

Both youths turned around, seeing a young woman with short blonde hair staring at them. Sharpner couldn't help but admire the ample cleavage the girl was showing from her green tube top, not to mention the short shorts that called attention to her legs. Videl, though, stayed focused on the girl's face for a moment before a light bulb clicked on. "Erasa?"

"You remember me!" the blonde squealed as she launched herself at the dark-haired girl, wrapping her arms around her friend. "It's been sooooo long since I last saw you! What are you doing here? How have you been? Who's the guy next to you? Is he your boyfriend?"

"Erasa!" Videl exclaimed. "Calm down and let me answer your questions."

"Sorry Vi, you know how I get when I'm excited and I'm just so excited to see you!"

Videl couldn't help the smile that crawled on her face. Despite all the bad things in the world, Erasa hadn't changed a bit since she had last seen her. After Orange Star City had been leveled and Sharpner had been reunited with his parents, Erasa's aunt and uncle had shown up at Coast Town to take guardianship of the girl. They had informed them that Erasa's parents and brother had been killed during the attack and the last sight Videl had of her friend was her sobbing on the living room floor. She hadn't even had a chance to say good-bye to her as her aunt and uncle collected her and took off, leaving no way to keep in contact with them.

"So what were your questions? They kinda got jumbled together," the Satan girl said.

"How are you doing? It's been ages since I saw you and not once have you been this way."

"I'm doing good," the girl replied before giving a look towards her company. "So is Sharpner."

"Sharpner!" Erasa exclaimed, turning to the boy in company. "You're Sharpner? You sure changed!"

In response, Sharpner combed his fingers through his hair, a smirk gracing his lips. "That's what happens when you work out."

"Really? You work out?"

"Uh huh."

"Can you last longer than a minute in a fight with Videl now?"

The Satan girl burst out laughing as Sharpner's face turned an interesting shade of red, out of embarrassment or anger she didn't know. Back when the three of them hung around the dojo, Sharpner had challenged the Satan girl to a match after he had suffered one too many jabs at his manhood. The blond never stood a chance as he was picked apart by the girl's self-defense techniques, though after that day she and Erasa began calling them self-offense techniques.

As Videl struggled to catch her breath, she couldn't help but see the large grin on her blonde friend's face, which sent her into another bout of giggles, Erasa joining her this time. All the while, Sharpner couldn't speak nor make so much as a noise to get either of them to stop.

Eventually, both girls calmed down enough to talk once more. "It's so good to see you two again," Erasa said. "Why don't we head to my place? We can talk more there."

Videl shook her head. "Maybe later. I have things to do while the sun is still out."

"Oh? What are you doing?"

While the Satan girl's first instinct was to keep quiet her reason for being in Ginger Town, she never got a chance to redirect the conversation as Sharpner replied "We're looking for the Golden Fighter and thought he might be somewhere around this area."

"The Gold Fighter? Really?" Erasa squealed. "He is such a hunk! I wish I could meet him, but he's always flying too high."

Videl frowned. "What do you mean flying too high?"

"When ever he flies around here, he's always too high for anyone to talk to him. And he's always going that way." The blonde girl then pointed towards the east to emphasize her point. "I really wish he could come down here though. I bet he's even cuter in person."

Videl was nearly on the verge of hyperventilating. Here it was, her first clue as to where Gohan lived. The excitement that was welling within her was practically bursting at her seems. "I think that we will go to your place, Erasa."

"Really? Awesome!"

Suddenly, a loud shrill noise echoed throughout the area, catching the attention of the three. "What in the heck was that?" Sharpner asked.

"Oh, that's just the loudspeaker thingies," Erasa answered as she pointed up to the corner of the nearest building, a loudspeaker sticking right out of it.

"_Attention citizens of Ginger Town,"_ a voice said from the speaker. _"There is an Android Attack at Blue Star City; I repeat, an Android Attack at Blue Star City. It is advised that all citizens clear the streets and keep out of sight."_

Blue Star City. A giant weight descended into Videl's stomach. Had it not been for Sharpner, they would've been in that city right now or perhaps had just left it. Regardless, it seemed like someone or something was looking out for her as she never even arrived at the city. A fortune that not everyone was lucky enough to receive.

* * *

Gohan stood in his father's colors, a golden aura roaring about him, staring down the slightly amused Androids as they ceased their destruction, facing him without worry. It had been a long time coming for this fight, but Gohan was positive he was ready to bring them down. He had a couple new tricks up his sleeve, the uniform Goku wore throughout his adventures on his person, and a plan that he was sure would bring him victory instead of defeat. It was time to put this nightmare to an end once and for all.

"And the hero enters the scene," Eighteen spoke, giving the boy a once over. "Ready for another beating?"

Gohan ignored the jab. He needed all his focus on the task at hand, no need to get upset at an opponent's jeer.

"This ends now," he declared to them, gathering his ki. He needed to time this just right…

Eighteen rolled her eyes. "As if we haven't heard that before."

Good, keep your self-confidence. That would only lead to their inevitable downfall.

Throwing his hands up, he aimed his hands right at the Androids, letting out a war cry as he fired a ki blast at them.

In response, both Androids leapt into the air, dodging the attack as it exploded under them—just as he had planed it. Using his speed, he disappeared from sight, reappearing right in front of Eighteen, her eyes widening in surprise. Throwing a punch, Gohan slammed his fist into the blonde android's face, stunning her as her head jerked backwards. Bending his other arm, he swung it forward, his elbow hitting his opponent in the side of her head, causing her to jerk to the side. Using the momentum of his body, the demi-saiyan spun his body in a circle before lashing out with one of his legs, the kick sending the female android flying away.

Perfect, that was one threat postponed for the moment. Now he could focus all of his attention on Seventeen. Turning to his left, he saw the dark-haired man already baring down on him, throwing a vicious punch at him.

Reacting, Gohan swung to a side, dodging the blow. Countering, the Son boy threw his own punch, only to see it be caught by Seventeen with his unclenched hand. This time, the android used his own momentum to swing his lower body forward, one of his legs flying towards the demi-saiyan's head. In response, Gohan raised his other arm up, successfully blocking the kick.

This time, however, Seventeen swung his other leg up, his knee nailing the Son boy under his chin, causing his head to snap back, leaving him stunned.

Smirking, Seventeen gathered his energy and let out a cry, blowing his opponent away with a force of energy. He didn't stop there, though, as he blasted off after his helpless foe, flying over Gohan's careening body and getting a small distance in front of his flight path. Swinging his leg, he landed a kick to Gohan's back, sending him flying towards a building and crashing into it. Due to the force behind his descent, however, Gohan broke through several walls and ceilings before bursting out of the other side of the building and landing on the ground.

The Son boy managed to recover quickly from the crash though as he pushed himself back to his feet. Getting overpowered by Seventeen so soon had not been part of his plan but he could adjust as long as Eighteen—

That was when a barrage of pink energy blasts came flying at him, causing him to growl as he began running down the street, trying to put distance between him and the impeding detonations.

All behind him, he could hear the roar of explosions as each energy blasts exploded, the heat licking at him from the bursting flames. Turning his head to look behind him, he noticed a lack of beams flying after him, the last of the barrage detonating several yards away. Coming to a stop, Gohan immediately began looking all over the place, trying to locate either one of the Androids.

That was when he heard the sound of shifting debris, causing the Son boy to focus attention towards a crumbling building. At its base was a wounded man, a large slab of concrete laying right on top of him. In an instant, Gohan was at the man's side, shoving the concrete off of him. "Sir, are you all right?" he asked.

The man just groaned, obviously not in a good condition. Gohan couldn't help but grimace. He had to get this man to safety quickly or else the Androids would find him and kill the man. Either that or he'd get caught up in the battle and be killed that way.

It was then a body rammed into the Son boy, sending him flying away until he hit the ground, skidding on it. Once he came to a stop, he quickly looked up to see Eighteen staring him down, Seventeen kneeling next to the injured man, pointing a gun at him.

"No!" Gohan shouted, pushing off the ground and launching himself towards Seventeen. Immediately, Eighteen was in his way, standing in a defensive stance. Reacting, Gohan threw one of his arms out, his forearm clashing with Eighteen's. A second passed and both fighters launched into a flurry of punches and kicks, neither one giving the other an inch. While Gohan couldn't land a blow on the blonde android, he was slightly pleased that she had yet to land one on him as well.

And then he heard a gunshot.

He couldn't help himself as his eyes slid over towards Seventeen, a slight trail of smoke leaving the barrel of the gun he held. In front of him, the formerly injured man was lying still on the ground, a puddle of blood growing around his head.

That was all the distraction Eighteen needed as she slammed her knee into the Son boy's stomach. As the air in the demi-saiyan's lungs were forced out of him, leaving the youth breathless, the blonde woman clasped her hands together over her head and swung them down, jackhammering Gohan on the back of his neck. Quickly removing her leg from the Son boy's stomach, her opponent crashed into ground, sending up a cloud of smoke.

A few moments passed as Eighteen settled back on the ground, looking at the dissipating cloud. Suddenly, a light flashed brightly and a ki blast rammed into her, picking her off the ground and sending her flying high into the air, a cry of surprise leaving her lips.

A loud war cry was heard as Gohan exploded from the smokescreen, his aura roaring all around him as he charged the now-standing Seventeen. With a fist drawn back, he threw it at the android, who ducked the attack, but didn't get a chance to retaliate as the enraged Super Saiyan launched into a barrage of punches and kicks at him.

Not once did Gohan notice that none of his blows were landing, each one of them being dodged, blocked, or parried. All his mind could register was that a man was dead and this monster was responsible for it. He would put a stop to him once and for all, no matter how long it took!

His persistence paid off as one of his legs connected with the side of Seventeen's head, jerking his head to a side and knocking him off balance. Allowing his momentum to spin him around, Gohan lashed out with another kick that sent the android flying down the street, landing on it several yards away.

As his senses came back to him, Gohan immediately fell back onto his original plan. Raising his right hand up, he extended his index and middle fingers, holding them in front of his forehead. Focusing his ki, he could feel it gathering at his fingertips, bolts of electricity dancing around them.

And as he gathered his ki, he watched as Seventeen slowly rise from the ground, his back to the Son boy, not looking the least bit ruffled from the unexpected blows. Dusting himself off, he turned around and put his attention of the glowing Saiyan, his eyes narrowing slightly as he saw this latest development.

"Relying on another technique?" the dark-haired android called out. Spreading his arms out, he held them in front of him, indicting he would face the attack head on. "Fine by me; give me your best shot!"

Gohan didn't say a word as he reached the attack's peak level. Thrusting his charged fingers out, aiming them right at Seventeen, the demi-saiyan shouted "Special Beam Cannon!"

And right at that moment, Eighteen came flying in from behind him. Passing by his left side, her own left hand shot out, the palm of her hand hitting the Son boy just below the wrist. That move pushed Gohan's arm slightly to the side just as the beam cannon fired, the purple beam swirling around a thin yellow one flying at its target. The blast passed within an inch of the android, his eyes widening as it flew past him. Pieces of cloth were torn from his shirt as the beam raced towards a skyscraper, blasting right though the doors. Flames and smoke erupted from the bottom floor windows and doors, followed by more flames and smoke blowing out the second floor windows and then the third. Each and every floor shot out clouds of smoke until it reached the top floor. Barely a second passed before the building's based crumbled, the building collapsing onto itself.

As the attack died down, Gohan wasn't able to tell if his attack had hit its target or not. As his mind tried to figure out what happened, Eighteen didn't hesitate even as her body drifted in front of the demi-saiyan, her own front facing his. She then shot out her right hand, an orb of energy forming in front of her palm and fired the blast point blank, the beam picking Gohan off his feet and carrying him a considerable distance away before he fell to the ground.

As the blonde android set down on the ground, she turned to level a disapproving look at her counterpart. "Seventeen, quit playing around!" she reprimanded. "At your currently level, that would've damaged you severely!"

Seventeen stared at his left shirt sleeve, or at least the remains of it. The sleeve of his black shirt was gone, rips in the shirt the only indication there had been one. The outer part of his long white shirt was also gone, the material on his forearm still hanging on only because of the inner part of the sleeve. His shoulder and upper arm were exposed though no visible damage could be ascertained. "For once, I agree with you Eighteen," he said back. "Guess we can't keep playing him at this level anymore."

Walking up to his blonde counterpart, he then held out his right hand, Eighteen mirroring his stance. "First one to kill him wins," Seventeen said, a smirk appearing on his face.

And then they both unleashed hell on the city in front of them.

* * *

From her hover jet, Bulma could see the devastation of Blue Star City. A third of the city was nothing but charged remains, clouds of smoke reaching from dying fires and into the sky. The rest of the city had pockets of fires that were being contained if the white smoke she was seeing was accurate.

In the passenger seat, Trunks looked at the destruction in awe. Though he had survived the attack on West City, he was still relatively new to the ways the world worked. However, what ever wonder he had for the wreckage of the place, it was replaced with anger has his hands balled into fists. Bulma didn't like the scene anymore than he did but she couldn't allow herself to be distracted by it.

She had heard on the radio about the attack and she just knew Gohan would be heading there. Instead of waiting for him to show up at her residence though, she figured that she and Trunks could be proactive and go look for him. At least that way they could quell their own fears of dread if they found the Son boy alive.

At least she hoped he was still alive.

And knowing the demi-saiyan like she did, she just knew he would be in the worst part of the city. Heading that way, she found a landing spot and set the hover jet down. Once the craft was situated, she and Trunks got out and started the task of finding Son Gohan.

It took awhile, but they managed to find him, albeit partially covered by debris. But the important part was that he was still alive.

Yet despite the Son boy's propensity to survive dangerous situations, he managed to surprise Bulma as he began to chuckle. How he was still conscious was beyond her, yet she couldn't help but wonder why he found the situation funny.

"I…I did it…"he whispered roughly, Bulma and Trunks looking at each other to make sure they heard him right.

"What did you do Gohan?" Trunks asked as he took a hold of the demi-saiyan's arm.

A few deep breaths and a couple more chuckles laid the suspense on the two Briefs thickly, but he eventually answered. "I made them…worried."

"Worried? After all of this and you think they're worried?" Bulma responded, a mixture of anger and disbelief in her voice.

"I'm getting stronger. Strong enough…to get their attention," Gohan replied before he finally passed out.

Trunks just stared at the young man with wide eyes. Just looking at him, Bulma could tell there was more hero-worshipping heading Gohan's way when he woke up; Trunks was his biggest fan after all.

Between the two of them, they managed to get Gohan into the hover jet and took off, heading back to West City. During the flight though, Bulma couldn't help but notice the smile that stayed on the Son boy's lips the whole trip.

* * *

To buu go boom: Glad it made you happy lol


	31. Determined

Short chapter ahead...a very short chapter actually. I couldn't think of much to put in on this one and everything I wanted just didn't make that word count go higher.

* * *

Gohan didn't live in the West.

That had been a very disappointing discovery for Videl, especially after she had been so certain that he did. Though Erasa had been helpful to establish his presence here, many times an Android Attack occurred had shown no sign of the young man flying over head. While her blonde friend couldn't help her establish a time and date of the times that he had pass the city, the citizens of Ginger Town were able to confirm the notion that Gohan did not have a residence here. Or perhaps he did but he didn't always stay in the region. Regardless, it put her back at square one and she was not very pleased about that.

That meant there was no other reason for her to stay in the West other than to catch up with Erasa. Actually, that wasn't such a bad idea. After all, she hadn't seen the girl since they had last parted and there was no telling if they'd get another chance such as this.

Of course, she'd rather they talk about a different subject matter.

"And he was just soooo rude that I told him to get over himself and then he said I was being whiny and I was like so mad that I just kicked him out of my house and I haven't spoken to him since," Erasa said, clearly more interested in her story than Videl was. The blonde had been going on about some guy she thought was cute, dated, and then broke up. While Videl would have listened to such a subject, though admittedly not very interested in it, hearing the same story with a different guy for the fifth time was pushing it.

"So Videl, do you have any guys you've dated?"

The Satan girl jumped a little, not expecting the question. "Umm, no, I haven't really paid much attention to that."

"No guys?" Erasa exclaimed as she looked at the dark-haired girl, trying to make sure she heard her right. "But, you're a woman! This is the time to get out and have fun!"

Videl cocked an eyebrow. "And I need a guy to have fun?"

"Well, at least trying to have fun with one. What do you do all day if you don't date?"

"Well, I have been training at my dad's old dojo—" Videl started. She would've said more but Erasa jumped at the topic like a lion on a gazelle.

"Hey, there's a good place to meet guys. Is there a guy there you're interested in?"

"Erasa, the guys there haven't changed much since you and I were kids."

"So? They're still datable."

Okay, they really needed to get off of this topic. "Can we talk about something else Erasa? I'd rather not think about those guys, okay?"

"Fine, we won't talk about them. But there is a guy you like, right?"

This was gonna take more effort than she thought.

* * *

As far as Trunks was concerned, Gohan was the greatest person in the world. There seemed to be no limit to how awesome he was and he'd be lucky enough to ever have half that much awesomeness.

He had always been fascinated with the young warrior. When he first saw him, he couldn't make heads or tails about him but he seemed to know his mother well. He of course needed a little more time to figure out if he was a good guy or bad guy. Now though, the man was like a god.

Almost.

The bandages on him did take away that invincible aspect, but as far as he was concerned, they were symbols of being a man, badges of honor in fact. Of course, his mother didn't see it that way, but then she wouldn't know what it was like to be a man.

And then, when he first heard Gohan say he made the Androids worried, he could've sworn that was the coolest thing he had ever heard. And that included the Captain Cool TV show he watched. That man was the definition of cool but he had nothing on Gohan. Nuh uh, not a chance.

Currently, the six year old Briefs boy was sitting in a chair, looking at his idol as he rested on a couch. It wasn't unlike the other couch he had laid on at his other house, the scene invoking a déjà vu feeling in him. But this time, he wasn't a curious little boy.

He was a big kid who was determined to make his hero's life easier.

His head perked up suddenly. Without saying a word, he leapt off his chair and ran into the kitchen. There he grabbed a glass and filled it with water. Then as fast as he could go while carrying the glass, he went back to Gohan and held the glass to him. "I got you some water," he said, trying to sound tough.

Gohan stared at him for a moment before reaching out and taking the glass. "Uh, thank you," he said as he took a sip of water.

The room seemed to get brighter as Trunks's excitement exploded within in. Gohan, his idol, had just thanked him. It was all too much for his big kid brain to accept.

And then his mother entered the room. "Trunks, I need to speak to Gohan. Could you leave the room for a few minutes?"

"But Mooooom," he whined. The young boy didn't want to leave the warrior, especially after everything he'd been through. He deserved to be taken care of and there was no one but him who would do it.

"No buts young man. Now go."

"Oh, alright," Trunks sulked as he left the room. He didn't go far though as he immediately pressed himself against the wall next to the door, just so he could hear what his mother wanted to say. Hey, if she could send him out of a room, then he could listen to what she had to say without knowing. She didn't say how far he had to leave the room after all.

"So Bulma, what did you want to talk about?" he heard Gohan say.

"I wanted to know what you meant. Back in Blue Star City, you said something about making the Androids nervous or something."

"I'm getting to them Bulma, I just know it. I had a Special Beam Cannon ready to destroy Android Seventeen and it would've worked if Android Eighteen hadn't knocked my aim off. The two of them even admitted out loud that the attack would've hurt them."

"Why the Special Beam Cannon though? I thought the Kamehameha Wave was stronger than that."

"It can be, but it depends. I'm more familiar with Piccolo's techniques than my father's, so it's only natural that any move I learn of Piccolo's will be stronger. All I have to do now is land just one attack on one of the Androids, and I'm sure it'll be possible to be rid of them once and for all."

Trunks couldn't help but feel giddy. A day without the Androids would be the greatest thing since his grandpa invented the dino capsules. No more need to be afraid.

"Oh really? How do you know that they won't just kill you before you can use the move? Or that they aren't hiding some nasty surprise from you?" his mother countered.

Way to be positive Mom.

"They're machines Bulma, they're programmed to use all of their power, not hide it. I don't think they know any other way than going all out."

"You may have a point, Kiddo, but these things were made by a mad genius. They could do a lot of stuff we don't think they can do."

There was a silence that made Trunks edgy. What was going through Gohan's head? Had his mom talked him out of his confidence?

"Bulma, I can feel it," he said carefully. "I'm onto something here and I just know that it's the key to defeat them."

"I hope you're right, Kiddo. I just wanted to be pragmatic about this."

"I know, Bulma, I know."

* * *

To doomsong-doomdoomdoomdoomdoom: It'd probably be like watching two territorial cats fighting each other lol


	32. Look to the Past

Bulma was not a person to let a subject drop.

Gohan had known that at one point, forgot about it, and was remembering it with a vengeance. The blue-haired scientist, despite her tendency to appear airheaded, had a steel trap for a memory. When she didn't like something, she would harp on it until it was solved to her satisfaction. This time the subject she was irritated with was Gohan's reasoning that he could challenge the Androids on fair ground.

Or as she claimed "I don't like pinning all of our hopes on an iffy situation like that."

Well, what else did they have? There was no one else around that had to capability to stop them. Heck, he was the only person to fight them as an equal for a limited amount of time. If not him defeating them, then how would this episode end?

"It's all we have," Gohan countered. "I would love if we had other options, but right now, we don't and that can't be helped."

"It can't or you won't think of others?" Bulma retorted. "You're just like your father, you feel as if you have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Not everything can be solved with fighting."

"Bulma, I'd rather not have to fight, but there isn't another choice."

"Yes, yes, I know. You've said that already."

"It doesn't make it any less true."

She was right though, they had been over this ground. Yet Gohan couldn't see any other way. It wasn't as if the Androids would just suddenly stop their reign of terror. They were the only ones that were capable of stopping their destructive ways and they didn't seem interested in discontinuing them.

Yet Bulma acted as if there was another way other than fighting. From experience, the Son boy knew that if there was another way, it was pretty well hidden. Already people had put their fate into technologies that were immune to the Androids—the Monet Shelter being one of the latest examples—and each time they were destroyed without a second thought. Heck, the Briefs woman had even admitted Capsule Corporation, one of the most advanced companies in the world at one time, hadn't bothered with making such materials or technologies.

Sighing, the demi-saiyan decided to make his case again. "Bulma, I've seen other people try to minimize the impact the Androids have and each time has ended with people dying. The only sure idea I know of is to defeat them."

"And how long will that last? You haven't won a single battle with them and people still die. No offense Gohan, I know you do your best but that hasn't slowed the Androids much."

"It still gives some a chance to escape."

A sympathetic look came over Bulma's face. "I know it's hard for you to admit failure, and you do give people that chance, but ultimately the Androids have final say on who lives and who dies. And it's more likely they want to fight you when you arrive than kill more people."

It was most likely the truth, every bit of it. But Gohan would do nothing more and acknowledge it. He knew if he entered the battle knowing he would lose, it was pointless to even bother the fight. A warrior needed to believe he could prevail, no matter the odds. His father was proof that such an approach worked. Right now, his efforts were only buying time for the innocent and if that was all he was capable of at the moment then so be it.

"I still have to try, Bulma. I can't let these people die so senselessly," he said, a desperate tone in his voice.

"And you do everyone proud, Gohan. I know your fighting for us all; heck the whole world knows. But we need to figure something else out, leave nothing to chance in case…"

There was no need to continue her sentence; the Son boy knew exactly what she meant. It was likely he wouldn't return from one of his clashes with the Androids, which would leave the Earth completely in the hands of those walking nightmares.

"Dad would know what to do," he replied. "He always did, no matter what was happening. Sometimes I wish I could see him again, just to hear his voice. Silly, huh?"

Bulma shook her head. "Not at all. We all miss him, Kid."

"But there's not much we can do to change what's happened," the Son boy mused. "We'd have to travel back in time or something to do that."

That was when Bulma's head perked up. "What did you just say now?"

Gohan had a perplexed expression on his face. "Uhh, we can't change anything?"

"No, after that."

"Umm, we need a travel back in time to—"

"That's it!" the blue-haired woman exclaimed, causing the demi-saiyan to jump. "You're a genius Gohan! Genius!"

"Umm, thanks?" the young man said as he scratched the back of his head. Really, this woman could be so unpredictable.

However, Bulma ignored him as she was running about the room, looking for something the Son boy couldn't figure out. A few moments later and the woman was sitting on a chair with several sheets of paper and a pen, scribbling down random notes. "I'm not too familiar with all of the theories but I'm sure there's something about them in one of my dad's science books. I'm pretty certain that if we apply the Relativity Theory, particularly special relativity, we can send someone back in time."

It had been awhile since Gohan had been in a science book, but if he understood what Bulma was saying, then the Brief's woman needed to get her head checked. "Bulma, are you talking about exceeding the speed of light? Doesn't that theory say that nothing can exceed that though?"

"Good Gohan, you've been studying," Bulma replied, never taking her eyes from the sheets of paper, which the Son boy was beginning to see her notes becoming formulas. "But it was also theorized that a certain set of circumstances could produce such a result."

"And those would be?"

"Well, common scenarios involve black holes and wormholes," the blue-haired woman explained, "but there's not enough research to support those as viable options. I doubt we'd want to find out that sending someone into a black hole just kills them. We haven't developed the technology nor have the proper research to create a wormhole either and who's to say that it does send you where you think it will? Too many unknowns for my tastes."

"So what is your idea for this?"

"If I remember right, traveling at the speed of light has the effect of keeping a subject frozen at one point in time. So if we use that logic, exceeding the speed of light would allow us to travel backwards in time."

Gohan just stared at the blue-haired woman, not following her train of thought. Huffing in irritation, she added "Think of light and time as a river; we're always going down the stream. But if we found someway to go upstream, we'd be going back in time. So by following light forwards, we're traveling from the present to the future. If we go backwards towards the original source of light though, we can time travel."

A skeptical look crossed the Son boy's face this time. "But it's impossible to exceed the speed of light."

"Not if we use light cones," Bulma countered. "Those already travel at the speed of light. So if this machine were to activate a light cone, using it as a launching pad so to speak, then use its own propulsion system to travel, it should then be able to break the light barrier."

This was getting to be too much for the demi-saiyan. But if this was the option Bulma chose to combat the Androids with, then who was he to deny her that?

* * *

"Hiya!"

With a swing of his arm, Trunks threw a punch that flew through empty air. Drawing his fist back, he then threw his other arm forward. Sweat covered the six year old boy's forehead, indicating he had been at this for quite some time.

Though young, he wasn't completely mindless as most children were his age. He understood what his mother and Gohan were arguing about, namely the Son boy going out and fighting the Androids. For some reason, his mother didn't have as much confidence in the warrior's ability to defeat the Androids while Trunks felt certain that he could. Yet no matter what confidence the two demi-saiyans had, it was nothing compared to the worry of his mother.

So what could be done to help tilt the scale to Gohan's favor? As everyone knew, there were two Androids that terrorized and kill people and Gohan had to face both of them at the same time. So if the bad guys had two people, why couldn't the good guys have two? It made perfect sense to him.

Yet there wasn't anyone that had the strength to fight the Androids like his idol could. He was pretty sure there weren't any regular people that could since none of them had stepped up yet. Naturally, Trunks came to the conclusion that if none of them could, then he would.

Demi-saiyans had to stick together after all.

And in order for him to watch Gohan's back, he had to get strong, training being necessary. Unfortunately, his current session would be put on hold as his mother and idol entered the room he was using and saw him in the middle of his session. While Gohan seeing him doing this probably wouldn't have worried, in fact he probably would've been glad to see someone wanting to help him out, his mother was a completely different matter. She was as overprotective as a mother bear and had the methods to make sure he stayed under lock and key.

And her only son standing in a mid-punch stance was definitely the wrong way to be caught.

So he said the only thing that came to his young mind. "Umm…hi?"

* * *

Well, it was inevitable; time travel had to show up some time and this seemed as good as any to go into it. I wouldn't put too much weight into Bulma's explanation though, for all you time-travel buffs. I did some research and came up with my own ideas for how it works and I'm the first to admit, it's probably a load of bull. But when you have a genius talking about complicated ideas and theories, there's bound to be plenty of talk of theories and ideas that no one would understand. Hopefully that came across lol.


	33. Overprotective Bulma

"And what were you doing young man?" Bulma asked, her arms crossed in front of her bosom, a look of steel on her face. She was in inquisition mode and that did not bode well for the accused.

The accused being her son.

After stumbling upon Trunks in the middle of some form of a training session, the small group of three had gone into a family room and was trying to puzzle out a reason for it. And once those damning words had left Bulma's lips, Gohan knew things would not go easy on her little boy.

Such was his experience with overbearing mothers.

Unfortunately, he watched as Trunks attempted to play innocent, a tactic he himself had done with minimal success. "Nothing."

"Oh, nothing huh? You mean sweating a river and punching for no apparent reason was you just doing nothing, right?" Bulma replied, trying to confirm his story.

Trunks bowed his head down, not trusting his voice. A quick nod of his head was all the answer he would give.

"So if you were doing nothing, what would something be? Setting the house on fire? Punching holes in the wall, hmm? Perhaps deciding to recklessly become a delinquent while my back is turn?" Bulma stared the young boy down, not believing a single bit of his innocent ploy. "Why don't you tell your dear mother just what you were planning to do?"

The Son boy had seen such scenes occur, mostly because his mother would do the exact same thing. At this point, the boy would crack under the pressure and spill his guts as to what he was doing.

Trunks was no exception

"I was…training," he mumbled softly, hoping that the two adults wouldn't hear him.

His mother had heard. "Training? Why in the world would you want to train?" That was when a lamp clicked on in her head and her eyes widened. "Trunks Briefs, you are not planning on fighting the Androids, are you?"

Gohan felt a weight drop into his gut. While he had caught onto the Briefs woman's train of thought, he knew the next words from her son would drag both of the demi-saiyans into a world of trouble. "Gohan's fighting them!" the boy said, trying to defend himself. "There's no one else trying to help him so I thought I would."

Bulma glared at the Son boy, giving him a good idea of the fury she was feeling. Turning her sights back to her son, she said "Trunks, you will not be fighting any androids as long as I live and breathe, you got that?"

"But Mom!" he protested. Turning his head to Gohan, he gave him a pleading look, practically asking him to help.

It was then that something occurred to the Son boy. Trunks had Saiyan blood running within him, much like himself. Whether he had the same inclination to fight like Vegeta or even his own father was still unknown, but the Briefs boy was getting to the age where that would become apparent. It may not be in a year or two, but once he hit puberty and his hormones were running rampant in him, what then? Something needed to be done, for Trunks' protection and the Briefs family's future.

"I have to agree with your mom," Gohan started, which caused a look of despair to cover the boy's face and one of surprise on Bulma's. "You're too young to be getting into fighting, especially when it's life or death." Though the thought of him staring his own life-or-death fighting at a younger age than Trunks was nagged at him, he purposely left that point unsaid.

"But I do think it would be best if you learned control of your potential power." This time, Trunks looked ecstatic while Bulma was about to go on the war path. Turning to face the furious mother, the demi-saiyan said "Trunks is a Saiyan, just like me, Vegeta, and Dad. It's only a matter of time before he begins accessing his ki and I'd rather he have some control over it than accidentally destroying everything he encounters when it does appear."

"Son Gohan, you are _not_ going to teach my son to fight!" Bulma screeched, nearly deafening the two demi-saiyans. "I will not lose him to those monsters!"

Shaking his head to get rid of the ringing in his ears, Gohan tried to reason with her. "I didn't say train him. I have no intent on teaching him how to fight, but rather to use his ki."

"I don't see the difference!"

"Let's say I just teach him to fly? There's no way he could fight the Androids just with that knowledge. Instead, it would give him another means of escaping them along with you if there's a repeat of what happened at Capsule Corp."

A thoughtful expression covered Bulma's face. "That is a good idea," she said begrudgingly. For a moment, she tried to find some fault with the idea, anything that she could overrule. Finally, she relented. "Fine, you can teach Trunks to fly, _but_ only that. If I find out he's learning to fight, I will have your hide nailed to my bedroom door, you understand?"

Gohan nodded his head, "I do."

* * *

Trunks had been glaring at him ever since they had parted company with his mom, for what reason Gohan had no clue.

Leaving the room in which they had a showdown with Bulma, the two had found a relatively unused room in the complex, mostly because no one ever used the upper floors. The whole time, Trunks had been upset about something and for the life of him, Gohan couldn't figure out why. He was gonna help the tyke use his ki for flying after all; you'd think helping a person figure out how to fly would've made the boy jump for joy.

Well, there was only one way to get to the bottom of his new protégé's attitude.

"Why are you mad?"

If possible, Trunks just deepened his scowl. "Why won't you teach me to fight?"

Was that it? Shaking his head, the Son boy answered "Because it's too dangerous for you to be challenging anyone to a death match, particularly with the Androids."

"So? You've been fighting them forever and no one has a problem. Wouldn't fighting with two people be better than with one?"

This time Gohan gave him a skeptical look. "I've been fighting for awhile, Trunks. How do you plan to help out if you have next to no fighting experience?"

"I would have experience if you'd teach me to fight!"

"Learning to fight and fighting are two different things. Besides, do you think your mom would let you train if she knew you planned on fighting the Androids?"

That seemed to stump the kid. Sulking, he responded "No, she wouldn't."

"And that's why I'm not going to teach you to fight. The type of training you need isn't just simply knowing how to hit something hard."

"Then how do you fight the Androids?"

"With ki. Every attack and technique I use is ki-related and that's the only way a person can survive head-to-head with them."

This time it was Trunks' turn to look skeptical. "And this ki stuff, I need to use this stuff to fly, right?"

"Right."

For a moment, the boy considered, forming ideas in his head and connecting them. That was when a light bulb seemed to go off in his head. "And by learning to fly, I can learn how to fight the Androids!"

Amused, Gohan answered "Sorta. Consider it a long-term course of action. Your mom isn't going to want you knowing how to fight and the less she knows about you learning martial arts, the less she'll worry about you."

Seeing the excitement light up the Briefs boy's eyes was a joy to for the demi-saiyan to watch. Though he exaggerated a bit about the boy learning to fight over a long period of time—the Son boy had no inclination to have the young boy ever see a battlefield—it was better for him to have a goal in mind while learning. If he thought that flying was his way into fighting, then so be it; Gohan would just have to make sure Trunks never saw that day.

"So how do we do this?" the boy asked excitedly, almost bouncing off the ground.

Well, his excitement was contagious, Gohan grinning at the boy. "First thing we have to do is get you in touch with your energy…"


	34. Through the Valley of Death

Once again, another milestone with this story. Onslaught is now the longest chaptered story I have ever posted. And there's plenty more story to go so this is far from being the last chapter. You've all made this a very enjoyable experience so far and hopefully the story continues to keep ya'll entertained.

* * *

It was good to be home.

Taking a deep breath, Videl couldn't help the anticipation she felt upon returning to Orange Star…again. Her trip to the West had proven to be useless, her original reason for not doing the trip in the first place. But at least she could say that her quarry did not reside over there.

That left the rest of the world to look at.

Sharpner couldn't have looked any happier than to be back at the dojo. It was obvious he missed the place over the several months they had been away. The closer they came to Orange Star, the more he wanted to get there faster, many a time insisting they continue traveling instead of staying in a village for the night.

It was a good thing Erasa stayed in Ginger Town. The Satan girl doubted she would've been able to last on the road, especially when Sharpner was so insistent on moving. In fact, she had even let the boy go on ahead once the city came into their view. It left her with more quiet time to herself and ridded her of his attitude.

Once she had arrived at the dojo, she had been welcomed warmly by all of the students and Master Shu. Videl couldn't help the feeling of joy upon seeing their reaction, reminding her of happier times when her father would welcome her there.

So that was why she was standing across the street from the dojo, taking in some air. Being overwhelmed by emotions wasn't something the Satan girl was used to. She'd go back inside of course, but after she composed herself.

And that was when a tremor rocked the city, a loud booming sound accompanying it. Losing her balance, the girl threw her arms behind her to press against the building she stood in front of. Jerking her head to a side, she saw a large cloud of smoke rising into the sky. There was only one thing that could mean and that caused a feeling of dread to fill her stomach.

The Androids were attacking.

Videl bolted for the dojo door, swinging it open. Running down the halls, she shouted about the Android attack. Almost immediately, the corridor was filled with men, each one teeming with fear and worry. Videl didn't pay them any attention though, as she went further into the dojo, the men heading towards the front door. She had to find Master Shu and try to get him out of the city. He was one of the few people she respected and could count on continuing the dojo as the way it should be. She would be damned if she let anything happen to him.

And that was when the wall next to here exploded into pieces of wood and plaster. Letting out a cry, she flew off her feet and slammed into a wall. An intense pain flooded her senses, her vision blinded by red. Then all she knew was darkness.

* * *

The dark-haired girl woke up to the ground shaking beneath her and an incessant pounding in her head. Light was painful to her eyes, so she kept them shut as she tried to regain her senses. A violent tremor caused her to flinch and fear to well up inside of her. What in the world was going on? Where was she?

Slowly, she opened her eyes and found herself lying on a ruined wooden floor. A crumbling wall was next to her as well as some sort of debris on top of her. Why was she in a place like this? This was no place for a person like her. She wasn't someone that belonged here, she was...she was...

Who was she?

A sinking feeling overcame her as she realized the extent of her situation. There was nothing, she couldn't think of anything that had happened before now; it was almost as if someone had just wiped it clean of anything and everything she knew.

Another tremor occurred, causing an instant of panic to spark within her. She didn't know what was causing those vibrations but something told her she didn't want to know. She had to get out of this place immediately or something bad was gonna happen. Unfortunately, she had something lying on top of her, keeping her from acting on her instincts. She needed to get whatever it was on top of her off first.

Twisting her body, she found she could move around underneath the large piece of debris, something made of wood and plaster. Pressing a hand up against it, it lifted a couple inches up but no more. Letting out a loud gasp, she lowered it back down. So she didn't have the strength to push it up, but it might be possible for her to slide out from under it if she got it up high enough. Once again, she put one of her hands on the debris and pushed it up. Once she had it as high as she could lift it, she slid out from under it until she was completely free. Only then did she let the piece of wreckage to fall to the ground.

Suddenly, a large man was at her side, grabbing her by her shoulders and forcing her to look at his bearded face. "Videl? Are you alright?" he asked, worry laced in his voice.

"I…I…" the girl stammered, staring at the man. Who or what was Videl? Was that her? And who was this man? He apparently knew her but for the life of her she couldn't put a name to him.

Staring into her vacant eyes, the man seemed to realize that something was wrong with her. "Oh Kami," he whispered as his shoulders slumped.

Suddenly, a large explosion erupted close to them, causing the girl to cling to the bald man, his arms tightening around her as he tried to shield her with his body from the blast. Once the wind died, the man harshly said "Androids."

This was becoming too much. From what she could tell, she was in some kind of warzone, didn't know a single thing about herself, a bald man seemed to hold all of the answers she wanted, and now something called Androids were causing explosions. What in the world had she gotten herself into?

Watching from their spot, the man's eyes widened slowly with each passing second. He then turned to her and pushed her to the ground, "Stay hidden, Videl," he spoke softly, thought with urgency in his voice. She wasn't about to argue with the man and did as he said, even as he stood up and walked several feet away from her.

"Androids!" he shouted, standing straight with his head held high. "Stop this madness!"

Slowly, the girl turned her head to look in the direction the man was looking at. Her eyes fell upon a standing piece of wall with cracks placed at random places on it. Just as abruptly as it started, it ended with another view of the scene behind what use to be the wall. There she found two people looking back at the man, neutral expressions on their faces. If she didn't know any better, she'd say they were twins, though their hair colors were different. Were they the Androids?

The one with blonde hair spoke up, loud enough to hear, and surprisingly with a feminine voice, though the skirt she wore should have given that away to her. "Looks like we have another hero, Seventeen."

"Seems like it. I guess we should show him how all heroes end then, Eighteen," the dark-haired man replied.

Seventeen? Eighteen? Were those their names? Weird.

The bald man didn't let their words get to him though as she saw him drop into a weird stance. Was he planning on fighting those people? Was that some kind of fighting stance?

Neither Android seemed to be affected by it though, each with a small smile on their face. Then, they both turned their bodies to a side, their backs pressing up against each other as they looked at the man dead on. Then, they each raised an arm, pointing their hands into the air.

Then a bright, golden light fired from their hands, racing towards the bald man. The last the girl saw of his was his body being thrown backwards before he was consumed by the light. A scream flew from his lips before he fell silent. The girl's eyes widened in horror, her mouth open in a silent scream. As the beam of light faded away, she saw no sight of the man that had stood up to protect her.

A thousand and one thoughts were running around in her head, but each one always ended at the same point. Those Android things had killed that man in front of her and neither of them looked as if they would be losing sleep over it.

She had to get away without either of them knowing of her presence. Otherwise they'd kill her too. But it seemed like both of them didn't even know she was there, a good thing in her book. Looking around, she found that she was in what was once a building. The wall next to her ran a long distance in front and behind her, one side coming to an abrupt end and other cornering off into another wall, though that one ended shortly too. If she could only make her way behind that wall, she might be able to run without them hearing her or at least seeing her.

Looking back at the Androids, they appeared to not have moved from their earlier position, instead talking amongst themselves. That was good enough for her, turning around she began to crawl away from them. Unfortunately, she didn't get too far as a piece of debris fell somewhere, she didn't know exactly where. It did, however, get the attention of the murderers though, as one of them said "What was that?"

The girl froze, hoping against hope that she wouldn't be seen.

"Probably a human close by," the other one said. "Shall we smoke 'em out?"

Crap, crap, crap!

Then out of nowhere a person descended from the sky, landing about the same place the other man had died. From what she could see, the figure stood proud in orange and blue, a possible man with golden blonde hair and…and…was he glowing?

"Hey, it's Gohan," the dark-haired Android said, his attention on the glowing man. Gohan? Why…why did that name sound familiar?

"Don't you two have better things to do?" the man called Gohan called out, sounding very put out.

Both Androids just smiled that same smile from before. "I think we've been over this before," the blonde android replied.

The girl's eyes widened. This Gohan guy was going to fight these guys. No, she couldn't let that happen; she couldn't watch as he was blasted by that light beam like the other man. "Please, don't," she tried to yelled, but her words came out as a harsh whisper.

However, Gohan seemed to have heard her as his head jerked towards her, his teal eyes falling on her. With wide eyes, she could see a mix of horror and rage, though she felt sure that he wasn't mad at her.

A moment later his head went back to the Androids, who had began charging at him. Taking another look at her, he came to a decision and dashed towards her, landing right in front of her and scooping her up into his arms, his left arm on her back and his right under her legs. Turning his head again, he looked back to see where the Androids were, just as the girl looked over his shoulder to see as well. Instead of seeing the two monsters, they saw a large golden beam racing towards them.

The girl didn't have a chance to cry out. Though she was expecting to be incinerated in an instant, she hadn't expected her scenery to change instantly into a street of broken buildings. The change left her stunned until she heard a loud explosion somewhere behind them. Looking around frantically, she soon found several more beams of light flying towards them, each one either the color of blue or pink. It was then she realized Gohan was running at a very high speed, her surroundings practically a blur around her, other than the light beams.

And because they were moving so fast, the beams never touched them, instead detonating on the ground behind them and sending flames that licked at them. She had no idea how much ground they covered in the seconds that passed but she was pretty sure all of it was being destroyed moments after they crossed it.

The next thing she knew, Gohan had made a sharp turn, taking them into an alleyway. He didn't bother going the whole way down though as he removed his right hand from her and pointed it at the side of a building. A moment later and a golden light beam fired from his own hand and destroyed a part of the wall, leaving a large sized hole in it.

Oh dear Kami, he was one of them wasn't he? "Let me go!" she yelled as she began pushing against him, trying to get out of his grasp.

Unfortunately, his hold on her was like steel, she couldn't get out of it. "Stop it," he said to her in a low voice. "If I let you go, the Androids will kill you."

Her struggling came to an abrupt end, allowing Gohan to run them into the building. Wasn't he an Android? The way he made it sound, he wasn't, but only they could do that death light thing, right?

Suddenly, the young man leapt into the air, leaning over her as the glow around them roared. Ramming into the ceiling with his back, they broke right through it as if the tile and concrete behind it were paper. Without even stopping, they went through two more floors, where the young man froze.

"Why did you stop?" she asked, confused. This guy had been moving practically nonstop since he had picked her up and just out of the blue quit moving. Looking up, she found the entire outer wall of the floor was missing, giving her a view of the destruction upon the city. Blackened, crumbling buildings stretched out towards the horizon, a vague green color at its outskirts signaling the limits of the city. Glows of fires dotted the landscape, large clouds of smoke rising into t he air. It was a sight that one would rather find in a painting than in real life.

But that wasn't the reason Gohan had stopped. On the floor with them were the Androids, both of the looking amused. The sight of them was enough to freeze the blood in her veins.

"My, my, they got pretty far didn't they?" the one called Seventeen said, clapping his hands in mock applause.

"I think they deserve a prize for that," Eighteen said.

The girl immediately closed her eyes, fearing the worse. She didn't want to see what horrible thing they were about to do to them. As seconds passed painfully, she suddenly felt Gohan move, jumping almost, but to where she didn't know.

And that's when she heard a loud explosion and they were both sent flying. The force of the detonation flung them apart, sending the girl flying high into the air. Shooting her eyes wide open, she found herself completely alone in the air, flames dying off from the building they had just been in, and gravity taking control over her. Soon, the ground was rushing up to her, causing her to scream.

Then, just before she was about to become a large red spot on the pavement, the familiar arms of Gohan wrapped around her, bringing her into his chest in which she immediately grabbed onto. A violent jolt whipped her head about as they hit the ground. Due to the sudden change in their fall when Gohan had caught her, they bounced on the asphalt instead of crashing into it. Like a stone skipping on water, they bounced on the ground until they crashed into the side of a building. This time they didn't break through it, though a large piece of concrete from somewhere fell onto of them. Fortunately it didn't completely fall on them as one of its sides touched the side of the building and holding it up, the other side of the debris touching the ground. Due to the diagonal angle of the slab, it created a small space with enough room for them to lay in.

Neither youth moved, both of them taking in deep breaths. Slowly, the girl looked up at the man holding her, seeing his blond locks partially covering his face. It was then she saw something completely bizarre. His hair began to fade from its bright color into black. In fact, the glow that had been around them had disappeared too now that she thought about it.

Who was this guy?


	35. Desperately Alone

She wasn't sure how long they stayed under that piece of debris. Every so often she would feel a tremor, each one with varying degrees of intensity, but not once did she think the Androids were anywhere close. Eventually, she fell asleep, the warmth she was feeling from the man next to her lulling her into unconsciousness.

It wasn't until a bright light appeared that she woke up. Looking around, she found the large piece of concrete was laying on the street next to them instead of on top of them. Gohan was standing up next to her looking around to make sure they were in the clear.

"Is it safe?" she asked as she slowly got onto her feet. For some reason, she found her savior to be much taller than she remembered.

"Seems like it," he replied. Sighing, he put his attention on her. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," she said. "Umm…thanks."

"You're welcome. I better be off now."

A look of terror covered her face as her hands shot out, grabbing onto his arm. He couldn't just leave her, not now! She had no idea where she was, knew no one other than him and she didn't even know who she was…

…who she was.

"Don't leave me," she pleaded, feeling something wet around her eyes. "I…I don't know what to do or where to go."

Gohan frowned at her. "You don't have any family or friends you could stay at?"

She lowered her head. "I…don't remember. I don't even know my own name, much less anyone else."

This time his eyes were wide, comprehension on his face. "You lost your memory," he spoke.

As much as she didn't want to admitted, it was the truth. Just to prove it, she began thinking, trying to think of anything before she had woken up under that debris once more. Focusing, she put every bit of mental effort into it until her head began to pound. Letting out a gasp of pain, she pressed her face into the man's bicep, gripping harder onto his arm. She could feel a few tears leaving her eyes. "Help me," was all she said.

It was then she felt an arm wrap around her, trying to comfort her. "I'll do what I can," she heard him say, which set her at ease for a bit. Slowly, he leaned away from her so he could see her face. "I'm Gohan."

The girl sniffled. "I know. I heard those murderers call you that."

Gohan nodded his head. "Is there anything I can call you?"

She thought for a moment. She didn't have a name that she could think of, so she could call herself anything if she wanted to. But then that man that had protected her earlier came into her mind. He had acted as if he knew her, even called her by something.

"Videl," she said. "You can call me Videl."

A smile grew on Gohan's face, which caused her to feel more relieved. "Okay Videl, the first thing we need to do is get you out of here. Umm, is there anywhere you'd like to go?"

Videl shook her head. "I don't even know what this place is, much less anywhere else."

He nodded. "Well, this is Orange Star City, or was anyway."

Videl didn't see how that mattered but she guessed he was trying to give her some frame of reference. Though for some reason her mind was changing the orange to blue, she had no idea why. Then another name popped in her head.

"Umm, do you know many people that are like me?" Videl asked, causing confusion on the young man.

"What do you mean?"

"People with no memory."

"Oh…well not really. You're the first person I've met with it."

"So then you wouldn't know what would be normal for someone in that situation."

"Afraid not. Why?"

Videl frowned. "I have these…names popping up in my head: Blue Star and Ginger."

"Maybe they held some sort of importance to you before you lost your memory," Gohan suggested. "Would you like to go check them out?"

"I don't have anywhere else to go, might as well," she said. "Where's a good place to start?"

The young man thought for a moment before saying "Ginger Town would be a better place to check, I think. Blue Star City had its own attack a few months ago so it's still recovering."

Videl blinked. "You mean those things attack all the time?"

He sighed. "Unfortunately. Let's head out. I rather we find you a place in Ginger Town to stay before nightfall."

Nodding, Videl turned to start walking before it occurred to her that she had no idea where she was going. "Umm, which way are we going?"

"Well, I was thinking I could fly us over there," Gohan replied sheepishly, one of his hands scratching the back of his head.

"Fly?" the girl asked suspiciously. "What do you mean fly?"

"Umm, I guess it would be better if I showed you."

Just when she didn't think this guy could get any weirder, he began floating off the ground. Watching as he went higher and higher into the air, and her eyes growing to the size of dinner plates, she had a feeling there was a lot more to this guy than met the eye.

A whole lot more.

"O…kay…I see," she faltered, her eyes following him until he landed next to her. "I guess you're just going to carry me then?"

"Yeah, that was the plan. Umm, is the way I carried you earlier okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

Once again, Videl found herself behind held in Gohan's arms. Then he lifted off the ground, flying them high into the air and then finally away from the city. Looking down, she got a good look as to what birds saw as the ruined city faded off towards the horizon and plains of grass and trees stretched out from under them.

* * *

He didn't know how he made it out of the attack, but somehow Sharpner had survived. Covered in soot and grim, the blond boy walked through the broken streets of Orange Star, wandering around to find other survivors.

After he had left the dojo, he had gotten lost in a fleeing crowd of people, rushing away from where the Androids were last seen. The next thing he knew, explosions closed in on them and then one erupted on top of them. He had been sent flying through the air, but fortunately stayed conscious. Once he was on his feet, he had taken off running and never looked back.

Now though, he had to find someone he knew or at the very least anyone that was still alive. His first thought was to head to what remained of the dojo. Upon finding it in ruins, he walked around aimlessly until he saw two people standing amongst a pile of rubble. They were dark-headed from what he could see and they were talking about something.

And then one of them began to fly.

Completely stunned, he had watched the man float around before setting down in front of his companion, one he began to recognize as a woman with pigtails.

Wait a minute, pigtails? Was that Videl?

After spending a few months walking behind the Satan girl, Sharpner could recognize the girl from her backside any day of the week and after taking a very good look at this woman's rump, he knew it was Videl.

Before he could call out to her though, he saw the man scoop her up in his arm, something that immediately sent a spark of jealously through his body. No matter how much he had tried during their travels, the Satan girl would not accept any advance he made, and now he was watching as another guy, who she probably didn't know, was allowed to pick her up like that. He could blow a gasket just staring at it!

And then he lifted off into the air and flew away. Eyes shooting wide open, he began waving his arms at them, shouting to get their attention. Unfortunately, they didn't see or hear him and disappeared behind the tops of nearby buildings.

There is no way that had just happened. Videl did not just fly away with another guy and leave him in the dust. It just didn't make sense! It just defied all explanation, most of which that came to his own head. Unless…

Unless that guy had hypnotized the girl just long enough to grab her and run. Yes, that had to be it! He was kidnapping her! No way, not on his watch. He'd go after that man and rescue Videl. Then she would fall into _his _arms and they would live happily ever after.

Sharpner had no time to lose. He had a small apartment on the other side of town that would have enough supplies for him to head out after them. And if he wasn't mistaken, they were headed west.

Fortunately for him, he knew his way around there.

* * *

Videl held her arms across her chest, looking around as if she were about to do something wrong. Gohan was kneeling down on a brick patio, shifting amongst some of the empty pots that looked as if you could grow some plants in them. "So is this where you live?"

"No," the young man replied as he moved another pot. "A friend of mine owns the place though and she wouldn't mind us using it."

Videl nodded, a bit distrusting though. It was a likely story but how did she know it was the truth? Though their flight here was pretty amazing, she didn't know who this guy was from anyone else.

"Aha!" he suddenly exclaimed. Setting a plant pot next to him, he then slowly removed a loose brick and stuck his hand into the hole. A moment later he retrieved a card and placed the brick back in place, the pot on top of it once more. Standing, he moved to the door and held the card in front of a panel. A light blue light shown and the sound of a lock moving was heard. He then opened the door and stood aside, a small smile on his face. "Ladies first."

Videl shook her head, a smile of her own appearing. Walking inside, she was met with darkness, causing her to stop.

"Oh sorry," Gohan said from behind her. She then heard him reach to a side, his hand moving against a wall. A switch was flicked and the lights from the ceiling turned on, revealing a kitchen made of linoleum, a small island in the center of it, and a wooden table with four chairs situated to one side of the room. "Well, here's the kitchen," he said.

"Is this the front?" Videl asked a bit confused. For some reason, she thought a different room was supposed to be in the front.

"Oh, we came through the back," he replied.

"Then why didn't we use the front door?"

"Umm, I don't know where the front door is on this place."

Videl gave him a skeptical look, which loudly said she didn't believe him. Anxious to move them away from the topic, he said "I think there's a place we can sit in the next room."

Indeed there were places to sit in the next room. A couple couches and a few chairs were set up throughout the room, the floor being covered in a rich red carpet. Both youths took a seat on opposite couches, looking at each other for a few moments.

Finally, Videl broke the silence. "Who are you? Really. I've seen you do things I've never seen in my life." 'Disregarding the fact she didn't remember a life before a few hours ago,' she added in her head. "How is it you do it? Is it something everyone can do and I just forgot?"

Gohan looked down, staring at the carpet between them. "No, not everyone can do those things. In fact, it takes years of training to master. I knew a few people who could do everything I could do and probably were better at it."

"Okay, so where are they?"

A grimace covered his face. "They're all dead. Each one fought the Androids and were killed with ease. I've been fighting them alone ever since."

"I'm sorry," Videl said a bit uncomfortable. What a way to bring up a sore subject. "How long have you been fighting them?"

He paused for a moment, thinking of his answer. "I think seven years, give or take a couple months."

Videl shot to her feet, shocked beyond belief. "You've been fighting those things for seven years? That's…that's…"

"Crazy?" Gohan supplied, a smile on his face.

Videl slumped down to the couch, thinking over her next words. "Until today, I've never seen such things. I saw a man get killed by those things with those light beams. And then you use them too, yet you obviously fear these guys. Why would you face them if you're afraid?"

A silence passed before Gohan spoke. "Because I have to try. If there's a chance I can save some lives, I have to at least attempt to. Unfortunately, I'm not always successful; in fact, you're one of my few successes."

Videl leaned forward, grabbing one of his hands with her own. This caused him to look her in the eyes. "I'm thankful you were able to save me," she said softly.

The corner of his mouth twitched up. "You're welcome."

She squeezed his hand as a sign of comfort, neither of them moving for some time. Finally Gohan stood up and stretched, Videl's hand leaving his. "Well, I think there's some running water here and a couple beds we could use. It's getting late and I think we could use some rest."

The girl nodded before something occurred to her. For some reason, she felt as if this guy would leave her if she turned her back on him, and in her current condition she didn't think that was a very good idea. In fact, a feeling of desperation was settling in her. Timidly, she asked "Are you going somewhere tomorrow?"

That seemed to catch the young man by surprise. "Uhh, I was planning to. Why?"

She clenched her hands, trying to hold down her panic. "Would you stay? Please? I don't think I can handle being on my own."

Gohan had a look of contemplation, one of his hands rubbing up and down the back of his head and neck. "Tell you what; I'll be sure to come back, alright? There are a few things I have to do but I won't leave you alone for too long."

Videl tilted her head up, looking him in the eye. "Promise?"

"Promise."

That made her feel better. At least the sense of abandonment was disappearing. All there was left to do was to clean up and get some rest. "Are there any clothes and towels here?" she asked.

"This place should be stocked," Gohan replied. "There should be towels in all of the bathrooms. I'll go look around for some clothes for you."

"Good idea." Then she smirked, a playful mood overcoming her. "Oh and Gohan?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't you dare and try to sneak a peak."

The blush that covered his face, along with his stuttering made her comment completely worth it.

* * *

To nameless reviewer: Oh, I'd imagine it'll be keeping its distance for awhile lol. Can't create an interesting situation and just blow it off a moment later (though I tend to do that more times than not).


	36. Wounded, But Not Alone

For the next two months, Gohan came back. He would leave in the morning and do what ever it was he did and as the sun began to set, he would return. A few times he would have bags of groceries in his arms to restock their supplies. Surprisingly, he ate a lot, something the dark-haired girl had yet to get use to.

Videl wouldn't have said it out loud, but she always felt relieved to see him open the door when he came back. Throughout the day, she felt isolated, completely and utterly alone. She had no idea why she was in this town—other than Gohan bringing her here—much less knew anyone in the area. She was becoming dependent on this one guy and even she had to admit that it was depressing.

But then, it wasn't everyday one lost their memory.

At least she had a place to stay at though. She was incredibly lucky that Gohan or this friend of his hadn't kicked her out by now. Though she did have to wonder about this friend. Was it a boy or girl? What were they like? Were they nice?

And where did they get their sense of dress? Currently, the girl was wearing a pair of shorts and a low cut shirt. She didn't mind the shorts since they fit her nicely, but the shirt for some reason bothered her. It was a bit too form-fitting for her tastes and the top part was a bit loose on her chest. The same could be said about the undergarments too. If Gohan's friend was a woman, she was slightly bigger than her in the chest department.

Hmm, maybe she needed to go into town and find some clothes that fit her better.

But there inlaid a problem. She didn't have any money to purchase any. That thought had surprised her since why would she ever think of such a thing? That had caused her to go around the house, looking at various furniture and trying to give names to them. After awhile, she discovered that she knew what chairs and tables were, what purpose each room served, customs that people performed, such as brushing one's teeth, even figuring out how to make herself some food for lunch. Basic concepts like those would just come to her when she focused on them, which helped ease her discomfort of not knowing anything.

However, she still held blanks to other subjects. Did she have any parents and if so, were they alive somewhere? How about friends? Where did she live before losing her memory? Did she have a job? What was her childhood like? These sorts of questions usually went unfulfilled, which caused much frustration for the girl.

For the time being though, she was giving that sort of thinking a rest. Gohan should be returning any minute now and she was bubbling with anticipation. For everything he had done for her, she wanted to pay him back in some form or fashion. The young man didn't seem to have many interests, making it hard to figure out what kind of gift she could get him. About the only thing he seemed to enjoy, that she noticed, was eating. So she had decided to make him dinner and couldn't wait to see his reaction when he saw all that she had done. It wasn't the best food around, she thought, but it was one of the things she had plenty of practice with over her time here. For the whole day, she labored in the kitchen. It was one thing when she was only making herself lunch, but to make enough food not only for her, but for the young man's appetite, Videl found that her task had taken longer than it should have, though she had expected that.

Looking at the clock, she found the hands to be nearing the time he usually arrived, which served to heighten her eagerness.

As time passed by, she found herself making excuses for why he wasn't there. Perhaps he was running an errand. Maybe he was picking up more food for her and the line at the store was longer than usual. He could have been helping out a friend of his. As the sun set beyond the horizon and the room darkened, Videl couldn't help the disappointment she felt as the food on the kitchen table went cold. She fell asleep in the sitting room, wondering where that man was and how bad she was going to kick his ass when he did show up.

* * *

It was to the sound of the door locks opening that caused Videl to wake up. There were only two people she knew that had access to this house, one being her and the other being Gohan. The thought that the owner of the place was visiting didn't even cross her mind as she sat up and walked to the kitchen doorway. The young man always used the back door and she was ready to lay into him. Standing in the doorway, she watched as the door swung open to reveal the man she'd been waiting for.

When Gohan limped into the room, thoroughly soaked in blood and one of his arms hanging limply at his side, Videl couldn't help but gasp in shock. Her anger drained out of her as it was replaced by concern. Immediately, she was at his side, helping him stay on his feet and leading him into the sitting room. Laying him on one of the couches, she went back into the kitchen and found the first aid kit and several towels. She hurried back to the young man and began wiping the blood off his face, only to find the blood sticking to the towel. Frustrated, she rushed back into the kitchen and found a large bowl, filling it with water.

Returning, she placed her first towel into the bowl, letting it soak for a moment as the blood on it flowed into the water. Then she picked the towel up and began cleaning Gohan again, this time finding better success. Once his face seemed clean to her, she moved onto the rest of his body, cleaning away as much blood as she could.

A ragged chuckle left Gohan's lips. "Bulma…isn't gonna like me…getting blood on her couch."

Videl frowned. "She can get a new one for all I care." Finding that his clothes were starting to get in her way, she put her hands beneath his shoulders and tried to raise him up. "Sit up," she ordered.

And like a good soldier, he sat up. Grabbing his shirt at his waist, she pulled it out of his pants and then raised it above his head. Well tried to anyway; Gohan didn't seem like he was willing to raise either of his arms to help. "Gohan, you're gonna have to help me here. I need to take your shirt off."

A labored sigh came from him and he lifted his non-limp arm. However, he didn't raise it over his head like she thought he would, instead grabbing both shirts he wore and tore them off. Either he had enough strength in him to do that or his clothes were more ragged than she thought.

That at least gave her better access to any injuries he had, a large gash on his chest catching her eye. Grabbing a new towel, and after soaking it in the blood stained water, she cleaned the wound before finding some bandages to cover it. "Do you think this might need stitching?" she asked.

Wearily, he looked at the wound and shook his head. "I've had worse," he said.

Ignoring the comment, she began wrapping his chest with the bandages. "What did you do to yourself Gohan? You look as if you've been through a meat grinder!"

Another chuckle left him. "Fought the Androids. Kicked my butt badly. Think they might have dislocated my arm too."

Videl's eyes shot wide open. "Dislocated? I don't know how to fix a dislocated arm! We have to take you to a hospital!"

Gohan shook his head. "It's easier than it looks…to fix. You'll just have to reinsert the arm into the socket."

Videl had the distinct impression that Gohan was exaggerating the fix. But if he thought it was easy to deal with, then she'd follow his directions. "Is it gonna hurt?"

"Yep."

"Is there anything I need to get to make it easier?"

Gohan thought for a moment. "Find a small stick or a piece of leather. I need to be able to stick it in my mouth."

Not asking anymore questions, the girl was on her feet and running through the house, looking for anything that she thought could be useful. Ultimately, she could only find a broom, so she snapped the handle on her knee and brought the top piece back to Gohan. After him giving her a few directions, she placed the broken broom handle in his mouth and carefully grabbed onto his arm.

A moment later he began to scream.

* * *

Videl stared down at the sleeping Son boy, tired but relieved that he resembled something other than a piece of dripping raw meat. Three cracked ribs, a reconnected arm, several gashes that fortunately did not require stitches, and various bruises and cuts were the final tally of injuries for the Son boy. Miraculously, Videl had managed to take care of them all. She must've lost track of time though, since daylight was now shinning through the windows.

Gohan had passed out during the reconnecting of his arm, his fatigue and pain providing a very lovely dose of unconsciousness. Though the dark-haired girl wasn't in favor of sampling that particular cocktail, she figured that this was probably a regular occurrence with this guy. Did he even have someone to help bandage him up after all of his fights? He said he had a friend but if that was the case, why did he come here instead of go to them? Did he just do it himself?

That caused her to frown. If Gohan had done it by himself, he wouldn't have to anymore. He had saved her from certain death and she owed him greatly. If repaying him for her life was to patch him up after every encounter, then so be it. He wasn't alone anymore.

It helped that she managed to fix him up as good as possible, being her first time to do such a thing. And he wasn't bleeding anymore on…umm…Bulma's couch. She was pretty sure that was the name he had said.

But right now she had other things to do, like clean up the kitchen. The food from the previous day was still sitting on the table, no longer warm and pots, pans and kitchen utensils were in need of a good scrubbing. Sighing, she got to work, placing food that could be used as leftovers into Tupperware and plastic bags. The rest that hadn't stayed fresh throughout the night made its way into the garbage, which fortunately wasn't much. Food wasn't the best thing to be throwing away nowadays.

The rest of the day flew by as cookware was cleaned, rinsed, and dried. A good cleaning of the kitchen would be needed but Videl wasn't in the mood to do it. Heading back into the sitting room, her eyes fell on the blood-covered couch. She was pretty sure that couch had seen its last days of being useful. Well, maybe if she found something to cover the cushions and backrest, no one would notice the mess on it. Yeah, she'd look around for one later, and if she couldn't, Gohan would just have to dispose of it.

Speaking of which, Videl's eyes flicked over to a nearby cot, the young man resting on it. She had ran around the house looking for that thing, figuring that there was no way she'd be able to get him into one of the bedrooms and that he'd probably not want to wake up in his own blood. The girl had found out quickly that she made the right choice in finding the cot when she tried to move him. He didn't look it but he weighted nearly a ton, or so she thought. Probably came from all that food he ate.

Fortunately, she didn't have too far to carry/drag him and he was in a deep enough sleep not to notice his relocation. Now he was resting just fine, a blanket on top of him and keeping him warm.

Finding one for herself, she laid down on the other couch in the room and pulled the blanket over her. She needed a nap and this was as good a place as any.

Sleep was never so blissful.


	37. Bulma Knows

Despite how the world had changed in the last few years, there were still two certainties in life: death and taxes. Usually death would be all anyone would worry about in a crisis, yet there was always some sniveling little weasel that found the time to send bills to people. Electricity, water, income, you name it.

Bulma supposed it was at least one normal thing to still continue, despite it being one of her most despised activities to do. Paying bills sucked on so many levels.

However, her latest electric bill had gone up. Capsule Corporation had always had the highest electric bill in the entire city, most likely the world as well, so any small variations in the total expense wasn't much to be concerned about.

Yet, due to the Androids, Capsule Corp had scaled back much of its production, only covering as many products it currently produced as it could. Gone was the development of new technologies and tests that routinely sent electricity usage skyrocketing. It was almost as if the company didn't exist anymore despite churning out their usual products.

That included all of the companies throughout the world. It was a big misconception that there was only one Capsule Corp in the world and that was in West City. Its headquarters was there, along with its world famous production plant, but many didn't realize there were other facilities in most cities around the globe, or at least ones that could retain profits. Usually if one had been destroyed, it was left for lost. Fortunately, only a handful of been rendered useless in the seven years the Androids had wrecked havoc; a small blessing indeed.

So when Bulma opened her latest electricity bill, she noticed an increase in cost. Since all accounts were listed in the bill, she quickly found where the increase came from, a residential building she owned in Ginger Town. Though she had never used the place and hadn't really considered using it anytime soon, it was a bit alarming to see it in active use.

But there were only a handful of people that had access to the place, namely her and Gohan. She had told him the location of every access key she kept in front of every Capsule Corp-owned residence in the event that something happened to her and Trunks needed to go into hiding. So logically Gohan was using the place and hadn't told her.

Rude, but she'd give him a hard time for it in exchange. Such was their relationship after all.

And wouldn't you know it, a couple days later Gohan came in for a visit wearing far more bandages than she remembered, but figured it had to do with a recent run-in with the Androids. It was the most logical reason she could think of.

"So Gohan, you forgetting to tell me something?" she asked once he had made himself at home.

The Son boy stiffened a bit before rubbing the back of his head. "Umm, no?"

Bulma rolled her eyes before pulling out her evidence. "Then can you tell me why my electric bill is higher than normal? An account in Ginger Town just suddenly became active and I'm pretty sure you're the only person that would use the place if you wanted."

Sweat began to roll down the boy's face, causing the Briefs woman to frown. Something was up, she could tell. A simple question had turned into something resembling a inquisition on the boy when it shouldn't have been. Gohan was hiding something from her that he didn't want her to know and that was far from normal. Or maybe she was watching too many soap operas. Maybe.

"Umm, well," the Son boy started. "I've been using the place…"

Bulma couldn't help but feel there was an "and" that was meant to follow. Of course she knew Gohan had to be living there but now she had the feeling that there was something else about it. "And? Is that it?"

"Well, no."

"Then what?"

"I've…been living with someone."

A roommate? That was it? That was what the demi-saiyan was fretting about? Of all the…

"So you have a roommate, big deal," Bulma said. "You know you could've just told me about it. When you moved in would've been better."

Gohan looked dazed. He hadn't expected their conversation to go this way the blue-haired woman noticed. It was practically written on his face.

"So when do I get to meet him?" the Briefs woman asked.

Once again, the Son boy froze. "About that. The person I'm living with…well, it's a girl."

Time seemed to freeze all around her. Gohan, sweet, innocent Gohan, was living with someone of the opposite sex? They were living together as what? Friends? A couple? Husband and wife? Did the kid she know from the age of four get railroaded into a marriage and was using the Ginger Town house to keep it hidden from his mother? What…what…

"Are you…why did…" Those were the only words she could manage to say. Stunned was the best word that could explain her current state of mind.

Gohan sighed. "I guess I should start from the beginning."

And her brain jumpstarted and was back on track once more. "You better start there!"

The Son boy flinched from the outburst. Calming himself, he launched into his tale. "I rescued her from the Androids."

"So?" Bulma interrupted. "You save a lot of people but don't take them home with you."

"She's different though."

"Different how?"

"She got amnesia. I don't know how but she has no memory of her life before I rescued her," Gohan explained. "She doesn't know of any friends or family she can stay with."

And for the fourth time in the conversation, Bulma's mood swung. That poor girl. She couldn't imagine what she was going through. And it was just like Gohan to give her a place to stay, something his father would do. Actually, it would be exactly what Goku would do, taking someone to one of her buildings and saying "Make yourself at home." What was it with Son men taking advantage of her generosity?

But that did leave one unexplained thing. "So you're living with her until she recovers her memory?"

"Umm, yeah. I hadn't intended on staying until she begged me not to go. I haven't had the heart to leave."

Bulma leaned back into her seat. "So have you told your mom about this?"

"Not yet, though I don't know if I want to. You know now traditional Mom can be."

Traditional was probably the best word to describe Chichi, the blue-haired woman mused. Chichi was unpredictable, yet held some sort of standard that could be best described as traditional. Knowing her, she'd think that if Gohan was living with a woman, she'd better be his fiancé or wife and if that was the case, then she would have to meet her and determine if she was the right woman for her son. That was a whole mess that would be interesting to watch but best to be avoided. It would definitely be more entertaining than her soaps though.

Sighing, she said "Tell ya what. I'll talk to Chichi and tell her that I offered you a place to stay and you thought it'd be a good idea to see if you could live in your own place."

Oh Kami, did she really just say that? Chichi was gonna go into hysterics over that. The Briefs woman was really biting the bullet on this one.

And it looked as if the Son boy was gonna take her up on the offer as his face brightened. Then it dimmed. "Maybe I should tell her that to her face," the young man mused. "She might not like a phone call from a friend."

Huh, that was one of the most grown-up things she had heard from the young man. "Well, I'll back you up on you accepting my offer for another place. It's the only story I can think of that she might accept."

"Thanks," he said.

"But I will meet this girl, understand?" Bulma said, a threatening undertone in her voice

Gohan gulped. "I-I understand."

"Good."

With that settled, Bulma began eyeing the Son boy's bandages. "So did your new friend fix you up or are you trying to be a mummy for Halloween?"

Once again, Gohan began scratching the back of his head, a large grin appearing on his face. "Yeah, Videl did this. She's good at it too surprisingly."

Videl huh? That must be the girl's name, Bulma mused. "I take it you'll be using her as your nurse for future injuries."

"Maybe. I don't want to overburden her when she has her own problems."

"Hmm, may I ask what injuries you managed to collect this time?"

"Uhh, just the usual. A couple cracked ribs, cuts, burns, and such. Oh! I did have my arm dislocated."

It was a good thing Bulma hadn't been holding something when she heard that-make that holding something breakable. "Dislocated?" the blue-haired woman exclaimed. "You had your arm hanging around like a broken chandelair and you had that girl put it back in? Why didn't you go to a hospital?"

Gohan began to shy away from the woman. "I...I don't know?"

This time Bulma glared at him. "Sometimes I wonder if it was a good thing you inherited your father's hard head. The longer I know you, the more you seem to act like him."

The demi-saiyan looked at her speechlessly. Really, what more could one say? It was clear that if he said anything, he would regret it. Sometimes silence was the best action.

* * *

To nameless reviewer: Sorry, this was another short chapter. Managed to add a bit more to it though.


	38. Gone Shopping

Videl watched as Gohan removed the bandages. The wounds that had been covered no longer bled, which was a good thing, and looked as if the only remnants of them would be scars. Hmm, small ones from what she could see. She could've sworn the original injuries were bigger. Perhaps her mind had exaggerated the damage.

Her eyes shifted to the young man's shoulder, the one that had been dislocated. Despite the severity of the injury, it looked as if it had never popped out. Either she did a good job fixing him up or he just healed fast. Regardless, she was just glad he wasn't hurting.

With all of the bandages removed, Gohan pulled on his blue and orange shirts, tucking them into his pants before tying his sash around his waist. "What are you doing today?" she asked, her eyes never moving away from him.

A few days ago, he had left to do what ever it was he did, coming back looking as if he ran a marathon. Completely exhausted, he just went into his room and collapse on the bed. She had figured he was doing his training thing, though whenever he did that his clothes were dirty; that day he wasn't dirty at all, in fact she'd say he was wearing his best looking gi as if to impress someone. The dark-haired girl never asked him what had happened and he didn't seem to think it important to tell her.

"Well, Bulma would like to meet you," Gohan responded as he began stretching out his arms and legs.

"Is she a friend?" Videl asked.

"Yeah. She even owns this house."

"So she's like a landlord and you're friends with her," she said, trying to figure out the exact role of this Bulma person.

"Something like that. So, do you think we can go see her in the next day or two?"

"That's fine." Videl then frowned as she looked down at yet another low-cut shirt. "Umm, Gohan? Do you think we could go to a store or two so I can pick up some clothes? All the ones here aren't exactly my taste." In fact, most of the clothes here showed off more skin than she was comfortable with. Who ever it was that kept clothes here were either very confident about themselves or just stashed a bunch of random sets of clothes here.

Gohan turned his head to look at her, an innocent expression on his face. "What's wrong with them?"

It was then he seemed to notice the amount of leg she was showing in her very short shorts and the amount of cleavage that was peaking out of the shirt she wore. A bright blush covered his face as he averted his eyes.

A smirk appeared on Videl's face. So, her savior wasn't used to seeing the body of a woman, or he didn't take much time to look. She could have some fun with this.

Standing up, she strode over to him, fingering the bottom of her shorts. "These shorts are a bit long, so I was wondering if I could get some shorter ones."

"Sh-shorter ones?" he stammered, his eyes looking towards her shorts. However, because the girl had moved closer to him, he got a great view of her cleavage.

"Yeah," she said, the smirk never leaving her face. "And this shirt is just so suffocating. I feel a bit constricted right here." Her hands them went up and began holding her bosom, indicating where the tightness was.

Gohan's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. He tried to say something, anything, but all that came out were unintelligible words.

Videl finally broke out laughing, leaning over as she placed her hands on her knees, holding her up. "I'm kidding, Gohan," she said between laughs.

The young man just nodded his head numbly, slowly moving over to a chair and sitting in it. "I…I think there's some money around here," he murmured.

Straightening herself out, Videl continued to grin. "You'll be coming with me, right?"

"Huh? Why do I have to come?"

"Because I don't know where anything is in this town and you have a better idea of what's here. Just think of yourself like a guide or something."

Gohan couldn't help but just stare at the girl, wondering what he was getting himself into.

* * *

A smile spread on Videl's face as she held a shirt up, examining and weighing it against some criteria that only she knew.

Gohan just watched the display, seeing each expression she made. It was a wonder to him how something like shopping could bring such a wide array of expressions to the girl's face. Some she would look at, considering them, others she would get that satisfied smile she had now, and other times she'd wrinkle her nose, almost in disgust with what she saw. It was interesting to watch.

This was the third store the two had entered and it seemed as if Videl had a very limited and specific set of clothing she was searching for. In most of the few bags the Son boy held, shirts that were baggy and revealed little of her upper body had been chosen, along with shorts and pants that were tight against her legs. Not all of the clothes were like that but a majority of them were. Also, some undergarments had been found, but Gohan refused to notice what they were exactly. A miniature version of his mother had popped up on his shoulder and threatened to beat him within an inch of life if he so much as considered looking at them. So in the sense of self-preservation, he avoided looking at them.

"I think I'm all done here," Videl suddenly called out, much to the relief of the demi-saiyan. He was pretty thankful that this trip was as short as it was, a couple distant memories reminding him of past trips with his mother making him shudder a bit.

"Why do I have to carry all of this?" a strained and whiny voice said from somewhere behind him. Another guy being dragged on a shopping trip he mused. Sadly enough, he had heard those words many a time and usually from the same gender.

"Hey, you're staying at my place, remember?" a feminine voice said, not liking the complaining tone of the other. "You have to earn your keep if you want to stay there."

"But I'm on an important mission! You know that!"

"I know, but I've been helping you search the town too, so consider this a break."

"I don't need to take a break, I just need to find our friend! Aren't you worried about her?"

A loud slap was heard. "Of course I'm worried, you blockhead!" Ouch, sounded as if someone said a wrong thing. Well, it was probably a good idea if he moved on. He didn't want to get caught eavesdropping.

Unfortunately, someone had caught him in the act, that person being Videl. When he approached her near the check-out counter, he could see an amused look on her face. "Find something interesting?" she asked.

"No, nothing really," he replied, a bead of sweat running down the side of his head.

"Not even that loud couple of there? I could swear they were looking for someone," the girl egged.

This time, a guilty look appeared on the young man's face. "Well, I heard a little."

Patting him on the back, Videl said "Don't worry. Most of the store heard them talking so I'd say you're in the clear."

A sigh of relief left the Son boy's lips, causing the dark-haired girl to giggle. "C'mon, let's get out of here," she declared as she began leaving the store. Like a faithful lapdog, Gohan was right on her heels, eager to leave.

Neither of them noticed the commotion from the back of the store as a young man with long blond hair struggled to run after them.

* * *

Sharpner couldn't believe his eyes. There she was! Videl was in the same store as he was and…leaving it while he stood there like a brain-dead moron.

His first instinct was to run after her but one little detail kept him from doing so. In his arms, shopping bags and boxes were held, making any sudden movement risky as each package and bag would collapse on top of him. Damn Erasa for using him as a pack mule!

He could hear protests coming from the blonde girl as he shuffled his way to the front door, hoping against hope that the Satan girl hadn't gone too far. Somehow, all of the items he held didn't fall as he arrived at the glass doors of the store. Turning around, he pressed his back against the doors and pushed them open. Finally arriving outside, he saw the usual crowd of people walking up and down the streets, not a care in the world.

And not a single sign of Videl anywhere.

"Sharpner!" Erasa shouted from behind him. "What in the world do you think you're doing?"

"I saw her!" Sharpner answered, his eyes moving side to side as he tried in vain to locate Videl. "I saw Videl leaving the store and now it's like she's vanished."

"Videl! Really?" Erasa squealed. "Where? Where is she?"

A few moments passed before Sharpner sighed in disappointment. "I don't see her anywhere." Giving himself some time to get over his frustration, he then straightened out his posture as much as he could while holding up a mountain of merchandise. "But now I know that Videl _is_ in this town somewhere. It just makes looking for her that much easier."

"But if she's been here the whole time, why hasn't she come to see me?" Erasa asked, sounding hurt. "She knows I live here."

The blonde did bring up a good point. As far back as the young man could remember, Videl and Erasa stuck together like glue. No one could separate the two until the Androids came. So the fact that the Satan girl hadn't sought out Erasa by now was a very discerning development.

"Perhaps she's being held against her will?" he suggested.

"Do you think so?" the girl replied, a cross between relief and dread in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah," Sharpner said, more and more conviction appearing in his voice. "That has to be it. There's no way Videl wouldn't try to talk to them unless she was being held prisoner."

"We've got to help her then!"

"Yes we do. We start hunting at dusk," Sharper declared, a new-found determination filling his body.

"Dusk? Why dusk? Shouldn't we start now?"

"Well, yeah, but that just sounded so much cooler."

Erasa stared at him for a moment before rolling her eyes and walking away.

* * *

To Uhh: Sorry about that.


	39. Evil Women TagTeam

Videl stood next to Gohan, her legs shaking due to her nervousness. Today was the day she met the mysterious Bulma and for some reason, she felt as if she were about to be interrogated and tortured instead of just sitting down for lunch with a person other than Gohan.

Her arms crossed over her chest, her hands rubbing against her biceps as if she were cold, though she supposed it was more a nervous reaction. She could feel the sleeves of her orange and blue shirt under her fingertips, bold red letters spelling FIGHT printed on the front of the shirt. It was one of the shirts she had found during their shopping trip the day before, along with the pants she was currently wearing. She had a feeling that she was wearing something too casual but Gohan had said it was fine.

Hopefully he was right.

Of course, Mr. Fashion Sense was still wearing his regular orange and blue gi, so dressing casual would also be dressing formal for him.

Standing at the front door of the domed building, the young man knocked on the door and waited patiently beside her. He was acting as if this was just any regular old day, though she figured he'd been here many of time to feel comfortable. Perhaps she'd feel better if this whole charade was already done.

The door slid open a moment later, revealing a young woman with blue hair. She was a little shorter than Gohan, and she had on what appeared to be workmen's clothing. Was she some kind of mechanic or something?

"Hey Kiddo," she greeted the Son boy. Her eyes then shifted towards Videl, making her feel a little self-conscious. "And you're Videl I presume?"

She nodded her head. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

An amused grin grew on the blue-haired woman's face. "Well, come on in and make yourself at home. It's not often I have guests."

Following behind Gohan, Videl couldn't help but feel the woman's gaze on her, looking her over. It made her feel very uncomfortable, which caused her to move closer to Gohan.

Suddenly, a young boy appeared with a huge smile on his face and all of his attention on Gohan. "Hey Gohan!" he said excitedly.

"Hey Trunks, how ya been?" Gohan replied, a smile of his own appearing on his face.

Before he answered, the boy's eyes fell on Videl's, causing him to look at her curiously. "Uhh, who's the girl?"

"Oh, this is Videl," he introduced, taking a step to aside to give both people a better look at each other.

"Uh, hi," Trunks said, not exactly sure what to say.

"Hi," Videl said back, also in the same predicament.

Fortunately, the blue-haired woman interrupted their stare down. "Hey, lunch is on the table everyone."

Videl could've sworn she saw Trunks disappear from sight that is if she could discount the blur that raced into what appeared to be the kitchen. The kid must've really liked food. Feeling Gohan's hand press onto her back, he directed her through the kitchen and into a dinning room. It was then that the girl noticed something peculiar about the place. Besides the customary furniture—like tables, chairs, and couches—she didn't see many decorations on the walls. It was a very Spartan atmosphere to say the least.

Feeling as if she were being rude for noticing, she directed her attention to the table and nearly had a heart attack. Not a single square inch of the wooden surface could be seen from beneath the bowls and plates of food. She knew that Gohan ate a lot but seriously? Did everyone that Gohan know have large appetites?

"A bit shocking, isn't it?" the woman said, clearly amused by Videl's reaction. "Growing boys need their food after all."

"_This_ much?" the dark-haired girl asked, causing her older counterpart to laugh out loud. Turning to Gohan, she said "I don't know where you found this girl, but I like her."

Gohan scratched the back of his head, an embarrassed grin on his face. "I thought I told you Bulma."

"You could've but it's not that important."

Suddenly, Bulma's head shot up. "Trunks!" she reprimanded, causing the young boy to freeze. Turning to look, Videl saw the kid reaching over to one of the large bowls on the table, a rice ball in his hand. "Put that rice ball back," his mother said with a stern tone. "At out table, ladies go first."

The young boy grumbled to himself as he sat the rice ball down, sullenly staring down at his empty plate. Bulma then turned with smile to Videl and said "Take as much as you want. Just to warn you, you probably won't be getting seconds."

A small grin appeared on Videl's face. "I guess there are more people that eat like Gohan," she said as she began reaching for food.

"You should've seen his father. All of this would've been a midnight snack to him. The same with Trunks's father."

Letting that settle in her mind, Videl surmised that most of the food would probably be going to the boys. She didn't know what she would've thought if Bulma ate like they did but for some reason, she thought envious. It would've been another thing she didn't have in common with other people. "So this is a family trait, I take it."

"You take right." A few moments passed before both women had what they wanted and leaned back into their chairs. "Alright boys, your turn."

Almost immediately Trunks was grabbing anything and everything he could reach and stuffing it into his mouth. That didn't last long though as Bulma had grabbed a long wooden spoon and slapped him in the head with it. "Trunks! Where are your manners? We have guests!"

Once again, a sullen look appeared on his face. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Watching that, Videl slowly slid her eyes to look at Gohan, who actually seemed to be behaving himself. He had placed a bunch of food on his plate, similarly to her and Bulma, but had slowed his pace of consumption. He still ate faster than her, but it was…cleaner than what she was used to.

"I swear, the only thing these boys love is the food I put on the table," Bulma grumbled. "You might want to get out while you can Videl, or else you'll be their undying slave."

Videl smiled. "I think it might be the other way around with me."

"That's what they want you to think," the blue-haired woman warned. "At first they're at their hands and feet, trying to please you in every way possible. The next thing you know, they're demanding you feed, bath, and burp them at all hours of the day and night."

"We're not that bad," Gohan objected, earning him a glare from the woman.

"You're not the one slaving over a hot oven."

Videl nodded. "I know the feeling."

Both Bulma and Gohan looked at the dark-haired girl curiously. "What do you mean?" Bulma asked.

"Well, this one time I slaved over a hot oven and Gohan was late to eat it. He didn't show up until the next day."

The Briefs woman gave the Son boy a dirty look. "Oh, you're starting early now, huh? I should take the poor girl in so you don't enslave her."

"B-but I was beaten up by the Androids," Gohan defended weakly, trying to get out from under the sudden double-team of the women. "I could barely fly straight!"

"A likely story," Videl replied, stuffing some food into her found snootily. A small smile graced her lips as she chewed, enjoying the torture she and her new friend were dishing out.

Bulma seemed to agree with her as she looked at the girl with a large smile. "I'm really liking this girl, Gohan. You better not lose her."

"I-I'll try not to."

Both women cocked an eyebrow at him. "That's reassuring," the blue-haired woman groused. "Perhaps I really should keep you here."

"Mom, can I turn on the radio?" Trunks asked. The young boy had been watching the "discussion" with his mother, Gohan, and his friend and he knew that his hero didn't stand a chance at defending himself against them. So anything that could hold off their assault, even for a moment, would've been most welcomed.

"Sure, go ahead," Bulma said, waving her hand to show she didn't cared.

Nearly leaping from his seat, he hurried over to their radio box and turned it on. Soon, some relaxing music was playing, which seemed to calm the two women down somewhat.

Feeling comfortable with these people, Videl decided to change the conversation. "So Bulma, I couldn't help but notice you're missing some furniture and decorations," she commented. "I don't want to sound rude, but I've been wondering why that was."

"That's because we don't use these upper levels," the woman replied, not the least bit offended. "Trunks and I live in the underground levels of this building so most of our stuff is. Our last place was destroyed because of a certain someone, so we thought it better if we stayed below ground."

"Gohan?" Videl said as she looked at him. "Did you damage her house?"

"NO! That was the Androids," Gohan protested looking at Bulma for assistance.

"Hey, don't look at me. She's the one that figured it out."

"B-b-but I didn't—"

"How did he do? Did he use those light beams?" Videl interrupted, sounding very curious.

"Yeah, he grabbed me and Trunks and just blasted the roof," Bulma answered. "The next thing I know, I'm flying away from town and half my house was falling apart."

Videl's eyes narrowed before shifting over to Gohan. "You better not do that to our house."

"I had no choice!" Gohan defended.

"Yeah, he didn't!" Trunks added.

"So you're saying you will blow up my building?" Bulma responded. "How many do you plan on destroying? All of them?"

"I don't want to…"

"You better not," Videl said. "I kinda like the place, thank you very much."

Gohan dropped his head in defeat. "There's no way I'm gonna win this, am I?"

Bulma smiled pleasantly. "Nope."

"_We interrupt this broadcast for this important announcement,"_ the radio interrupted. _"We have an Android sighting near Mickey Town, I repeat, Android sighting at Mickey Town. It is unknown whether they will attack but it is highly recommended that citizens stay out of sight or vacate the area. Again, Androids sighted near Mickey Town."_

The room went silent after the transmission, everyone staring at the radio. A moment later, a chair was heard sliding against the ground. Turning her head, Videl saw Gohan standing and heading out of the room. "Gohan?" she called after him, slightly frightened.

The only answer she got was the sound of the door opening and closing.

Videl was on her feet in an instant. There was no way she was gonna let him go out there and fight those monsters. Not today, especially after how well everything was going.

It was then she felt a hand on her arm, stopping her from following him. Looking, she saw Bulma looking at her with an understanding expression. "Videl, I think it's best if you sit down."

"We can't let him go out there by himself!" she protested. "He could get hurt!"

Bulma sighed. "I wish it wasn't the case but we have no choice. The only thing we can do is wait for him to return and hope for the best."

For some reason, that didn't sit well with Videl.

* * *

To unnamed reviewer for Chapter 5: Glad you like it

To unnamed reviewer: Thanks


	40. Blond Encounter

Sharpner sat on top of the tallest building in Ginger Town, his long hair blowing in the breeze, and a pair of binoculars in his hands pressed up against his face. Facing east, he watched the horizon, waiting for something to happen.

It had been nearly a year since Orange Star City had been attacked, the eighth year in which the Androids had been wrecking havoc across the globe, and several months since he had seen Videl leaving a department store. In all of that time, not once had he encountered the girl or the man he had last seen her with. That fact alone was frustrating to the blond boy.

Ever since that day, he had been all over town, checking every building, knocking on every door, and looking under every rock to find the Satan girl. He had actually done it several times and still he had come up fruitless. It was maddening to say the least.

All the while, Erasa seemed more and more sensitive. Almost anything he said that concerned Videl in some way cause the girl to burst into tears. It was hard on the girl that her best friend in the world had yet to seek her out, even if she was being held captive.

So after doing something thinking, Sharpner had come to the realization that people flying on their own volition was a very uncommon sight. For once Erasa proved useful when she was daydreaming about meeting the Gold Fighter and what she would do with and to him. Then came some exotic idea about the two of them having fun in the sky caused Sharpner's mind to finally grasped onto an idea. Only this Gold Fighter guy could fly, so if he was the guy that took Videl, he would be flying over Ginger Town every once in awhile. All he would have to do is see where he would land upon coming back and he'd know where he was holding Videl prisoner. It was fool-proof!

His plan had worked too, until he realized he didn't know the exact location of where the Gold Fighter was landing. The only thing he could figure out was the he was heading into one of the residential areas of the city. It was a big letdown for the blond.

But now he was in the right place to see the guy land. It had occurred to him while he was in his monthly bubble bath that he needed to be up high in order to get a better idea of the Gold Fighter's landing place. So after hearing on the radio of another Android Attack, he grabbed his binoculars and went to sit on top of one of the taller buildings around the area he thought was the guy's home. Erasa had even joined him when he was on his way out. Everything was set; all he had to do was wait.

And wait…and wait…and wait…

And the whole time Erasa did not stop talking. First she was excited that they were closing on Videl, then she went on some tangent about wearing some special clothes, and now she was just chattering about something inane. What ever it was, it was slowing driving Sharpner insane.

Please, Kami, please, do something to shut her up!

As his hands tightened on the binoculars to the point he swore the lenses would crack, he suddenly spotted something at the horizon. "Erasa, be quiet," he hissed. "I think I see something."

And just as he wished, Erasa fell silent, waiting on her blond counterpart to tell her what was going on.

Focusing on the dot on the horizon, Sharpner waited until it grew bigger and he recognized it as the man who abducted Videl. He had to say though, he looked as if he had seen better days. His clothes looked a bit ratty and there was a mixture of grime and something he didn't know on his face. The closer he got, the more Sharpner could see how tired he looked.

Luckily, the guy wasn't flying close to the building Sharpner and Erasa were on, so he wouldn't spot them. Trailing the binocular sights after him, Sharpner saw him descend behind a few residential buildings. He wasn't sure which one exactly but at least now the number of buildings he had to check were now a small handful.

"I got him, Erasa," Sharpner said as he lowered his binoculars and began walking towards the fire escape, the blonde girl following him. "He's at one of those houses in the northern residential district."

"Do you know which one?" Erasa asked enthusiastically.

"Not exactly, but I have an idea. He went behind a couple buildings so I'm not positive which one. All we have to do is knock and see which one it is."

Climbing down the fire escape, Sharpner couldn't help but feel excited. All of his pain, suffering, and searching would be coming to an end very soon. He could practically taste it.

* * *

Videl had cleaned him up well. All the dirt and blood that had been on him had been wiped away, his raggedy gi replaced with a fresh one, and his various scraps and bruises cared for.

And now Gohan was in the sitting room, resting his weary body. Though he felt as if he could've fallen asleep, Videl's voice from the other room was keeping him up, mostly because she was berating him for getting hurt…again.

"—and did she really have to use your face to block their punches?" she demanded. "I thought that's what your arms and hands were for."

For some reason, Videl had come under the impression that he wasn't giving his all against the Androids and that he purposely let them beat him up. It was comical the first few times he heard it but now he was starting to suspect that she was being serious about it. He even asked her a couple weeks ago about it and she claimed it was how she dealt with bad things, a coping mechanism as it were. So he let her berate him as long as she felt better.

Suddenly, he heard a knocking at the door, followed by Videl appearing right in the doorway, her eyes focused like a hawk's. "There it is again," she spoke, sounding as if she were paranoid.

For the last few months, Videl had complained to him that someone or something was knocking at the front door of the house. Being as she had no idea who it could be, she never answered the door and waited for who ever it was to leave. Every time it occurred though, Gohan would always be out in the world, either visiting his mother or Bulma, training, or fighting. So this was the first time he was around to hear the knocking.

The Son boy rose to his feet, which caught the girl's attention. "And what do you think you're doing?" she inquired.

"I'm going to see who it is," he answered, heading towards the front door. It was a good thing Bulma had told him where the door was, otherwise he'd never would've found it. By then though, he was too use to entering from the backdoor to use it. So this would be his first time opening the door.

Behind him, he felt Videl's presence following him, a bit wary about what he was doing. They walked through a couple other rooms that only held furniture covered with sheets. In the year they had both lived here, they hadn't bothered using the rooms, feeling comfortable with the ones they were currently using. Besides, the place was bigger than they really needed it to be.

Arriving at the door just as another knock occurred, Gohan pressed a couple buttons on a nearby control panel. Videl in the meantime stood to a side, out of sight from the doorway. A moment later, the door slid to a side, revealing a blond couple, one a boy and the other a girl. Gohan just stared at the two with blinking eyes. "Umm, can I help you?"

The blond boy stared at the Son boy, some activity occurring in his head before his eyes lit up with recognition. "Okay, where's Videl, you kidnapper!" he demanded.

Gohan was taken back. Kidnapper? Him? He hadn't kidnapped anyone to his recollection. And somehow this guy knew Videl. A quick glance at the girl behind the guy told him she was on her counterpart's side.

So the only thing the demi-saiyan could say was "You know Videl?"

"Of course!" the blonde girl said. "We're here bestest best friends in the world and _you_ took her away from us!"

O…kay. Seemed these guys wanted to see Videl. Turning to look at the girl, he leaned towards her and whispered, "Do you want to talk to these guys?"

The girl seemed confused for a moment before she steeled her nerves. Nodding her head, Gohan took a step to aside, allowing her to step into the doorway.

Before either of the dark-haired couple could say anything, both blonds had gone completely silent before a loud squeal was heard from the girl. The blonde then launched herself at Videl, tackling her into the ground and talking so fast, no one could make out what she was saying. All Videl could do was look down at the girl lying on top of her before she tilted her head towards Gohan. "Uhh, a little help here?"

Gohan scratched the back of his head as he took a couple steps towards them. Bending down, he wrapped his arms around the blonde's waist and pulled her off Videl, receiving a very loud protestation from the girl. "Hey! Put me down! Videl help!"

"Get your hands off her!" the boy shouted as he jumped at the two. Throwing a fist, he punched Gohan in the side of his head, causing his head to tilt to a side. A moment passed before the blond screamed out in pain as he pulled his hand back to him, blowing on the throbbing red appendage.

"That's enough!" Videl shouted, causing everyone to stop what they were doing. The dark-haired girl was back on her feet and was taking command of the situation. "I will not have this craziness in my house!" Sure that she had everyone's attention, she then spoke calmly. "All of us are going to the sitting room where we can discuss this like adults. Anymore of these shenanigans and I will throw you out. Understood?"

Gohan and the blonds nodded their heads slowly, the Son boy lowering the girl in his arms to the ground. Keeping a glare on them, Videl then began moving towards the sitting room, the rest of them following behind her.

Once the group arrived in the sitting room, each side sat on the couches that were facing each other; Gohan and Videl on one and the blonds on the other. Both sides stared each other down, the Son boy with confusion, Videl and the blond boy with glares, and the blonde girl with worry.

"Okay," Videl started, seizing control of the pending conversation, "who are you two?"

Both blonds seemed to be taken back by the comment, tears appearing in the girl's eyes. "B-but Videl," the girl sniveled, "we've known you your whole life."

Gohan stared at the two for a few moments before something clicked in his head. These two were friends with Videl before she had lost her memory. That explained how they knew the girl, but there were a few other questions that needed to be answered.

"Well Gohan doesn't," the dark-haired girl replied, not showing her lack of recognition. "And since this place is owned by a friend of his, you should at least tell him who you are."

Gohan glanced at the girl. Though she had a tough front, he could feel her trepidation. Her arms were crossed over her chest, but her hands were fidgeting behind her biceps. For once, the Son boy had no idea what was going to happen.

The blonde girl, in the meantime, had taken up Videl's order. "Well, I'm Erasa and this is Sharpner. We're—"

"Erasa," Sharpner hissed. "Don't tell him anything about us. He already kidnapped Videl and probably brainwashed her as well."

Erasa's eyes widened. "Do you think he did that?"

"How else do you explain Videl not recognizing us?"

Okay, this guy was becoming a bit annoying. Gohan's eye twitched as he heard the blond's conspiracy theory. Was this how he always was or just in this particular instance?

"Where are you getting me kidnapping and brainwashing people?" he asked the two, catching them off guard.

Sharpner scowled at him. "I saw you take Videl and fly off with her in Orange Star," he said, as if that explained everything.

"And you think me carrying her equals kidnapping?"

"Videl would never allow a guy to hold her that way, I should know. Then there's Erasa."

"What about her?"

"She lives in this town and Videl knew it. If she wasn't being held against her will, she would've visited her sometime while being here."

Huh, so that explained that. "So how was Videl supposed to act?"

That seemed to stump the blonds. "Well, uhh," Sharpner said, not quite sure what to say.

Erasa picked up the slack this time. "Videl's very independent. She'd rather beat someone up than let them treat her like a girl."

"Excuse me," Videl suddenly said, standing up. Before anyone else could say anything, she was out of the room, heading to who knows where.

"Videl!" Sharpner exclaimed, getting onto his feet with Erasa. Both blonds headed for the doorway to follow her, but were suddenly stopped when Gohan appeared right in front of them, blocking their way.

A stern expression was on his face. While these two people didn't know what was going on, Gohan had a pretty good idea as to what was going on with the dark-haired girl. "Both of you, sit down," he ordered.

"Hey, she's our friend," Sharpner shot back, clearly angry. "She belongs with us and you're not gonna stop us."

This time a scowl appeared on the Son boy's face, causing both blonds to pause. "You will both stay in this room or you can see your way out," Gohan said with a deathly calm. "I'll go check up on Videl but neither of you will go after her."

Allowing a few moments for his message to sink into their skulls, Gohan then left the room, using his ki sense to locate his friend. He located her ki signal in her room and made his way there, knocking on her closed door when he arrived.

When he didn't hear a sound, he slowly opened the door and stepped in, closing the door behind him. On the bed, he saw Videl curled up, trembling from her overwhelming emotions. Sitting on the edge of her bed, Gohan put his hand on her shoulder. "Videl?"

Almost immediately, Videl had flung herself around and threw her arms around the Son boy, gripping him tightly. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she pressed her face into his body. Not sure what to do, Gohan slowly put his arms around the girl, trying his best to comfort her. Faintly, he could hear her murmuring something.

"I can't remember…I can't remember…"

* * *

It had taken awhile, but Videl had calmed down enough to fall asleep, though it was a fitful sleep. Gohan was sure she would stay that way for a little while, which gave him enough time to go take care of their unexpected guests. Entering the sitting room, he found the blonds still here, Erasa sitting on the couch worried and Sharpner standing near a wall, the complete opposite of happy.

Erasa saw him first, her eyes looking at the Son boy pleading. She wanted some sort of answer for the scene she had witnessed earlier. A few seconds later, Sharpner caught sight of him and muttered "About time."

Sighing, Gohan moved to sit in the same spot as he had previously, looking down at the floor in contemplation. These two claimed to be friends of Videl's past life, what ever it could've been. He supposed they should know what had happened to their friend.

"I think you two need to sit down because of what I'm about to say," he started, looking up at them. While Erasa was already sitting, Sharpner didn't look the least bit ready to listen to him. Oh well.

"The day I met Videl in Orange Star, she had no idea who she was. I'm not sure how it happened, but she didn't remember a thing about her, even her own name. Her first memory was watching a man get killed by the Androids."

Erasa's eyes were wide, contemplating what he told them. Sharpner, on the other hand, didn't see to buy the story. "That's it? Videl has amnesia? What a crock."

Gohan frowned. What was this guy's deal? Did he just not like people the moment he saw them?

When no one said anything, the blond boy continued. "I think you brainwashed her into forgetting everyone, so that she'd be dependent on you for her every need. If there's one thing I know about Videl, it's that she's able to take care of herself. You've taken that from her somehow; I don't know how, but you did."

The Son boy cocked an eyebrow. "What is your deal?"

"My 'deal' is that you think we're dumb enough to buy some dumb excuse like amnesia. I know your game. You just want Videl for yourself and keep her away from her real friends. And I'm not gonna let you do that, you hear me?"

Gohan scowled. It wasn't often he met someone he didn't like, but this Sharpner guy was really pushing his buttons. "I think it's time you left, both of you."

While the blond boy looked as if her were going to explode, the girl looked deflated. Standing up, she began to trudge towards the front door before she looked up at Gohan. "Would it be alright if we visited?"

Gohan's face softened. "I guess that would be okay. I'm not sure what Videl would want, but give her a couple days to get her thoughts together. She's pretty shaken up."

A small smile appeared on the girl's face as she nodded. Sharpner looked as if he were about to protest when Erasa walked over and grabbed his arm. Catching him off guard, she then dragged him away, his protestation following soon after. Gohan didn't bother listening to what he said or how the girl responded, hearing the front door opening and closing soon after.

* * *

To Amazed: Did the best I could on that one. It came out fairly decent if I don't say so myself.


	41. Contemplate

"—and I was, like, totally mortified. I mean, I went through all of this trouble to look good for him and he, like, thought I wasn't putting any effort."

Videl numbly nodded her head to show she was paying attention to Erasa's rant. To be honest, it was one of the most boring things she had bothered listening to, but anytime she tried to change the subject, the blonde would go right back to it. It was like magnets being attracted to each other.

But the dark-haired girl had made it a habit to interact with the girl. Obviously her previous self had been friends with her, for what ever reason she didn't know. And since she knew about her, Videl felt that if she spent enough time around the blonde girl, some part of her memory would come back.

Now though, she was starting to wonder if that was a part of her memory she'd rather not know.

But with that said, some things had come back to her. Sometimes she'd have a weird sense of déjà vu, as if she had experienced a certain situation before. Upon talking to Erasa about it, the blonde would get excited and squeal about a time where the two of them had done such a thing. So far she'd been able to uncover times they had played in a city park, gone to school together, and a list of other little things.

Other times she'd have strange dreams where she seemed to be a little girl. One of the more recent ones was of her, a miniature Erasa, and surprisingly a mini-Sharpner, and all three of them were in what appeared to be a workout gym of sorts. Men in workout clothes were using exercise machines and weights to increase their strength and stamina. What it meant was beyond her but she wasn't quite ready to discuss this to Erasa yet. She felt there was a little more she needed to see before she could make out a complete picture.

"Hey Erasa?" Videl said, interrupting the blonde's ramblings. "I'm gonna get something to drink, you want something?"

"Oh, I'm good. Thanks," she replied, watching as her friend stood up and left the room. "Videl? When do you want to go shopping again? It's been forever since we went and it was a blast."

Hearing the question, Videl shuddered. She had made the mistake to go shopping with Erasa a month ago and found out the hard way that the girl wanted to try ever last piece of clothing she could find. As the day wore on, the dark-haired girl grew more and more mortified as she realized the extent of the other's fascination with fashion and style. And ever since, she avoided any possible trip to go shopping with her.

Allowing herself a few seconds to compose herself, Videl grabbed a random can of soda and walked back into the sitting room, popping the top and taking a large swig. "I don't really need anything," she finally replied once she had quenched her immediate thirst.

"Silly, you don't have to buy anything. You can just browse and try out some outfits."

Videl cocked an eyebrow. "Why bother going shopping if you're not gonna buy anything?"

"It's the experience Videl! You do like to have fun, right?"

"Not that kind of fun."

Erasa pouted. "You're no fun."

"So I'm told."

A silence filled the room with Erasa sulking and Videl waiting for the next topic of conversation to pop up. It didn't take long for the blonde to get a new one too as a grin began working its way on her face. "So what do you think about Sharpner?"

Videl's first instinct was to barf. For some reason, she always had that reaction anytime the guy was around or mentioned. Of course, she never did throw up but that nauseating feeling always reared its ugly head. "Not much," she grunted out.

"Really? Maybe it's your amnesia messing with your head. Sharpner said you two were close at one point."

"To be honest, that's the one good thing about this amnesia. I don't remember him," Videl replied. Honestly, she hadn't ever met someone so self-centered in her life, even though she didn't remember a thing about anyone else. If the two of them did have some sort of relationship, the girl was willing to make sure her mind never recovered that experience. "He seems a bit too into himself, if you know what I mean."

Erasa nodded her head. "I can agree with that. So we can say he's a friend for now, right?"

Videl shrugged. "I guess."

"What about Gohan?"

A little voice in the back of her head began nagging at the dark-haired girl. For some reason, she got the feeling Erasa was trying to get at something, but she wasn't quite sure what. First she wanted to know her thoughts on Sharpner and now Gohan? What was her game?

"What about him?"

"You live with the guy and probably spend more time with him than any other person. I just wanted to know what you thought about him."

Suspicious, Videl slowly answered. "He's alright. I owe him a lot for putting up with me."

"Is that it?"

"Is there anything else I should be saying?"

For a moment, Erasa stared at her before muttering, "She's still the same," what ever that meant. Speaking up, she said "Do you think he's cute? I know a lot of girls do and I was wondering if you felt the same way."

This time, Videl paused for a moment. She supposed he could be "cute" in the way Erasa meant it. And apparently some other people felt the same way. Though the way the blonde had put it, they were willing to do something if given the chance. "What do those girls have to do with anything?"

That seemed to satisfy what the blonde girl was after, her eyes lighting up in delight. "Well, if any of them had access to Gohan like you do, they'd probably try hooking up with him."

Okay, so what if some girls wanted Gohan as a boyfriend? It wasn't as if the world depended on whether he had someone special waiting for him to come home to. If he wanted to, he could date whom ever he wanted if he so chose to.

But for some reason that thought didn't sit well with her.

* * *

Chichi folded the last towel and placed it on top of stack she had made of its brethren. Letting a sigh out, she picked up the stack and walked towards the bathroom. Entering it, she then opened one of the cupboards and placed the folded towels within.

The Son woman paused for a moment, listening to the quiet of the house. It didn't use to be like this. Yes, it had been quiet before but this silence was more forlorn, empty, haunted.

It was times like this she wondered why she let Gohan move out.

He was her only son and like a mother, she worried about him constantly. It was absurd of her to think he would've stayed home forever, but then she hadn't planned on him suddenly deciding he wanted to live elsewhere. It had come out of left field, so sudden that her head had been spinning for nearly two weeks. Her father had moved in to help the transition but it just wasn't the same.

At least the Son boy's roomie would be able to help her son when ever he was injured, which was more times than not considering the current state of the world. She would've loved to meet this mystery person, but she didn't think it was a good idea for her to travel all the way towards a suburb of West City and Gohan hadn't seen fit to bring them to the house. That was gonna have to change, she'd see to it the next time her boy visited.

Unfortunately, he was coming home less and less to check up on her. In fact, he seemed more distracted every time she saw him. At first she just thought he was worrying too much about the Androids, but that didn't seem to be all that consumed him.

Oh how she wanted to question him so.

But he was a grown young man and he seemed adamant about solving his own problems. For that, Chichi could be proud of him. The rest of it was going to kill her out of curiosity.

Eventually, she would make him tell her what he was up to, even if it killed him. But for now she would let him lead his life and take responsibility for himself. And if he so much as showed a delinquent tendency, she would remind him of his upbringing through words or frying pan.

* * *

To Amazed: Glad you enjoyed it.

Sorry to say, this was a short chapter, obviously. I had wanted to do some girl talk with Videl and Erasa and my brain just died. Through in an update with Chichi and that fizzled too. The next few chapters should be much better.


	42. What Does Gohan Do?

Videl opened the door and gave a small smile. Standing in front of her was an excited Erasa as she hurried through the doorway. "Hey Vi!" she exclaimed exuberantly, hugging the dark-haired girl. Returning the hug, Videl caught sight of a very bored looking Sharpner, who remained standing where he was, his hands in his pockets.

"Glad you're here Erasa," Videl said as the two moved from the door, heading towards the sitting room. Sharpner entered through the doorway soon after, closing the door behind him as he followed the girls. "How are you?"

"Great! I'm glad you called to invite me!" the blonde said. "I brought Sharpner with me too, ya know, since you two haven't seen each other in awhile."

Videl gave a half-hearted laugh. "Yeah, that's great," she said, sounding less than thrilled. The dark-haired girl hadn't really thought of the guy much since they had met. He hadn't visited as much as Erasa had and she was alright with that. When he did come over, he always looked as if he wanted to be somewhere else.

"Ya know, Videl can come to our place," Sharpner said behind them, a bored tone in his voice.

Erasa huffed. "Videl doesn't know where we live, Sharpner. It's easier for us to come here than for her to go there."

Sharpner cocked an eyebrow. "She's been there before."

"Sharpner, amnesia, remember?"

This time he rolled his eyes. "Right, that," he said in an unbelieving tone. "Well, she shouldn't be cooped up in this place all day long. She ought to go outside and explore the city."

"I do go outside," Videl retorted, slightly annoyed.

"Why don't we sit down?" Erasa interrupted. Though it had been quite awhile since the three of them had been together, the blonde could recognize the signs of an impending beat down, usually by Videl to Sharpner. Usually she'd let her friend do her thing, but she wasn't too sure what would happen considering all that had happened. Best to change the subject and hope everything turned out for the better.

Seeing no point in refusing Erasa's request, the three sat down on the couches, the girls on one and Sharpner on another. A few moments passed before either of them said anything. "If you do leave this place, where do you go?" Sharpner asked.

"Where else? The grocery store, cloth stores, that stuff," Videl answered, still annoyed.

"You've gone shopping without me?" Erasa asked, obviously surprised. "Why didn't you ask me to go with you?"

"I don't need much," was the reply. "I just need a couple things and I'm done. No need to make it an expedition."

"That would be something you would say," the blonde grumbled. "Next time, you better take me along. I'll show you how to really shop."

"That's all we need, another shopaholic," Sharpner retorted, earning him a glare from Erasa. "There are only so many boxes and bags I can carry."

"We can get Gohan to help," Erasa replied snootily. "I bet he could help out."

Videl couldn't help but notice the scowl that appeared on the blond boy's face. He had never warmed up to Gohan since they had met, for which she couldn't understand. In fact, he was still convinced that Gohan was up to something, they just didn't know what. It was ridiculous she thought. And despite his nature, she was sure that Gohan didn't have much patience with the guy, though she hardly blamed him. Of course, he wouldn't admit to it.

"That's probably not a good idea," Videl finally said, not taking her eyes off of Sharpner. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Erasa look at her questioningly. "It seems the boys don't like to play nice with each other."

"So? They can put up with each other," the blonde replied.

"Definitely a bad idea."

"Well, why don't we ask him? Where is Gohan by the way?"

Videl had to think for a moment. Gohan had left like he usually did, but she wasn't sure what he was up to at the moment. "He's not here," was her answer, shrugging her shoulders.

"He's not here?" Sharpner inquired. "Why not?"

"He does do other things," Videl replied. "Unlike me, he's not hindered by memory loss. He either trains or checks up on a couple of friends."

"That's so sweet!" Erasa said, her eyes lighting up as she clasped her hands in front of her. "I think you got a good catch, Vi."

Videl blushed. This hadn't been the first time Erasa had hinted at a relationship between the two. Not that she wouldn't have minded, but it wasn't that easy to make one since Gohan either came home tired or beaten up. That wasn't very encouraging for romantic overtures.

"Ugh," Sharpner piped in. "I swear Erasa, you're just as obsessed with this guy as Videl. If you like him so much, why don't you marry him?"

"Maybe I will." Erasa turned to look at a bewildered Videl, who was barely keeping up with the turn in the conversation. "What does Gohan like? Anything would be helpful."

"Uhh, I…" Videl was speechless. Where had this sudden interest in Gohan come from the blonde girl? Had she always had it and she hadn't been paying attention? Or was it really as spontaneous as the blonde appeared to make it? "I think he likes food."

Erasa's eyes lit up. "Perfect. I know the perfect restaurant to take him to. Has the best pasta in the city. Or maybe we can stay in and make something. Hmm, I'll have to go to the grocery store and stock up. Fish should be easy to make; some rice on the side. That would be delicious."

Videl felt conflicted. On one hand her…friend—she guessed—genuinely seemed smitten with her housemate. On the other, she wasn't sure if she liked that. Unconsciously her hands were clinching into fists. She needed to find out if all of what Erasa was saying was true. Looking into her eyes, Videl could practically feel the intent in the girl's eyes. But then, there was something else in them. Despite the fact that the girl was planning in front of her and Sharpner, Erasa's focus was squarely on her. If Videl had to put a name to that look, it was meaningful, like the blonde was signaling something to the dark-haired girl.

Was Erasa helping her plan to do something with Gohan? That was…strange. But she did have a couple good ideas Videl had to admit. Perhaps she should make an evening with him; something more personal than their usual nights. Sometime in the coming weeks since some preparation had to put into this.

Hmm, this didn't seem that much like a bad idea.

* * *

Fists flew around him like blurs. Gohan did his best to keep them from hitting him, but he wasn't that lucky. Especially since Seventeen and Eighteen were going at him at the same time.

His own arms were whipping around in front of him, blocking and parrying as many of the blows as he possibly could. A few of them he was able to dodge, though not as many as he would've liked. Taking the first opportunity he could, he leapt high into the air, trying to put some distance between him and the Androids.

Looking down, Gohan immediately saw the two giving chase after him, each with an amused glint in their eyes. Baring his teeth, the demi-saiyan gathered his ki as he thrust one of his hands out in front of him, his other hand grabbing his wrist. A second later he fired a golden blast at the two death-machines, both of them seperating and moving to a side as the ki blast flew by them harmlessly. An explosion erupted beneath them, but they didn't appear startled by it. Instead, they raised all of their hands and fired their own signature blasts at the young man. In response, Gohan threw his hands out from his body, summoning his ki to form a shield around him. The twin energy blasts made contact a moment later, sending flames all around him.

As the flames and smoke began to dissipate, along with his shield, Gohan suddenly felt a jolt of pain hit him in his back, causing him to cry out as he plummeted to the ground. The pavement cracked and broke around him as he crashed into it, but he didn't allow himself to stay at that spot. Almost immediately, he pushed off the broken ground and shot down the street, trying to keep from becoming a sitting duck. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain as a foot slammed into his left cheek, causing his head to snap to his right. A moment passed before he felt himself flying through the air, hitting the ground shortly after, bouncing and skidding on it for a short distance before he came to a stop.

Panting as he tried to catch his breath, Gohan held his eyes closed until he felt he was recovered enough to move. Opening them, he immediately saw Eighteen baring down on him, flying straight down from the sky with one arm held out in front of her and the other held behind her as a fist.

Steeling himself, Gohan rolled to his left, just as Eighteen's fist was thrown, colliding with the ground and causing it to crater. Pushing his body up, Gohan balled his left hand into a fist and swung it out, backhanding the blonde on her face. This caused the Android's head to snap to a side, stunned. Reacting immediately, Gohan spun his body to face her, drawing his right leg up and bending it at the knee. Forcing his body forward, the demi-saiyan rammed his knee into Eighteen's stomach, causing her to lose her breath and a small cry of surprise to leave her lips.

Bringing up his right arm, Gohan jerked it down, his elbow on a crash course with the back of Eighteen's head. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to carry out the strike as someone came out of nowhere and caught the elbow, stopping his arm cold. Looking up, Gohan saw Seventeen looking at him, an amused smirk on his face. "Now that's no way to treat a lady."

Distracted by the dark-haired android, Gohan never noticed Eighteen moving her right hand up, gathering her energy. As a pink energy ball filled her hand, she pressed it into the Son boy's stomach and fired it, Gohan being carried away by the blast. The demi-saiyan let at a cry of surprise, which turned into one of pain his body smashed into the side of a building, causing the wall to break apart and him to disappear into the building.

Gohan wasn't sure how long he was on the floor. It could've been seconds or minutes, but regardless, all he did was lie there, trying to recover. It was starting to look like he needed to retreat again.

Slowly pushing himself up, the Son boy caught sight of two silhouettes at the large hole in the wall, the same one he had made entering this building. Getting back to his feet, Gohan prepared himself for the next assault.

"Look at that, Eighteen, he's back on his feet," Seventeen commented. "Looks like we didn't hit him hard enough."

Gathering his ki, Gohan steadied his body for his attack. Throwing his arms out in front of him, he began firing a barrage of ki blasts at the Androids, blanketing them in smoke and flames. The wall and ceiling before the demi-saiyan crumbled as they were pelted with blasts, disappearing in the onslaught.

Coming to a stop, Gohan waited to see what damage he had done, slowly seeing the smoke dissipating and revealing a missing piece of the ceiling and the lack of wall. With more disappearing smoke, the two Androids were soon exposed, not showing the worse for wear.

"Now that wasn't very nice," Eighteen said, the expression on her face unchanged. "I think we need to teach him some manners."

Each Android raised an arm, aiming their hands right at the Son boy as they gathered their energy. A second later, energy blasts began firing rapidly from their palms, fractions of a second right after each other. The only thing Gohan could do was cross his arms in front of him barely a moment before the blasts detonated on him. His cries of pain were drowned out by the roar of the explosions.

Time ceased to matter as the Androids continued their assault. The building before them collapsed on itself as its base was destroyed. A think cloud of dust and smoke covered the surrounding area, limiting visibility greatly. Flashes of light blinked continuously until finally coming to a halt minutes later.

It was quite some time before the smoke cloud lifted and revealing the Androids standing before their latest handiwork. A plain of wreckage reached out several blocks in front of them, debris scattered about where buildings had once stood. Plumes of smoke rose into the air at various places.

"Perhaps we went a little overboard," Seventeen said, not the least bit remorseful.

"Well, if he survived, he'll show up again," Eighteen replied. "He always does."

* * *

Gohan stepped through the door, closing it behind him. Burns and abrasions covered his body, his fighting gi ripped and torn all over. He wasn't sure how he did it, but somehow he had survived that last Android assault. Then he had to dig himself out of Kami knows how much debris, reaching the surface a couple hours ago. It was nightfall by then and he could only imagine the lecture he was going to get when he returned home. He wasn't looking forward to it but that was just how things worked. In all honesty, he just wanted to fall asleep in a nice comfy bed.

Trudging through the kitchen, he soon found himself in the sitting room, one of the lamps still lit. Videl was laying on one of the couches, curled up into a ball. Looking at the scene for a few moments, Gohan had to wonder how long the dark-haired girl had been waiting for him.

Moving closer to her, he could see a frown on her face, a small whimper coming from deep within her throat. Figuring that her bed would be a better place to sleep, the demi-saiyan turned the light off, bathing the room in darkness. Slowly, he slid his arms beneath the girl, causing her body to loosen up surprisingly. Her facial feature smooth out as well, becoming more at ease.

Gently, Gohan picked Videl up, his left arm under her knees and his right around her back. He had to pause for a moment as he winced from his injuries. This probably wasn't the best thing he could be doing for himself, but he was already committed. Once he was standing up straight, he made his way towards the proper hallway, walking down until he reached her room. Pressing his back against the door, Gohan felt the door swing open, a soft creaking sound coming from the hinges. Locating her bed, he lowered the girl to the mattress, removing his arms from her a moment later when he was sure she was still sleeping. Gohan quickly found a blanket sitting on a nearby chair and covered the dark-haired girl.

A sigh left the demi-saiyan's lips. He hadn't been sure that he could move the girl as well as he had. The aches and pains in his body were still bothering him, so it was lucky that she had stayed asleep. Moving again, he left Videl's room, closing the door behind him before going to his own. Once he had shut the door, he made his way to the bed and fell on it, ignoring the irritation he felt from his burns. He'd clean them up later, now was the time for sleep.

Blissful sleep.

* * *

To UltimateGohan42: This one's longer lol. Hopefully it was good too.

To be honest, I hadn't intended on writing this chapter. I had a couple more already written but they had a lack of our two favorite blonds and there wasn't any reasonable way to put them into them. So this chapter was made to give them some more screentime. Hopefully this doesn't go to their heads lol.


	43. Dinner Date

The sun was a giant burning ball of fire as it sank towards the world beyond the horizon. Its orange color gave the surrounding rocky area a dull, if not tired look to it, as if the terrain had weathered centuries of endless torment and age. The clouds in the sky were a brilliant purple shade, fading into the dark blue that was the creeping night sky.

Sitting on a plateau with his legs cross beneath him and his arms crossed in front of his chest, Gohan settled his exhausted body into a peaceful moment, meditating his hectic mind into a calm quiet. Today had been a good training day, his reward the weary sense of fatigue. His head bowed and eyes shut, the Son boy fell into a reflective mood, even as he made sense of his unfocused thoughts.

It had been a full decade since he had known life outside of the Androids' reign. Hard to believe he had lasted as long as he had, but he supposed there were many reason for that. Luck, a strong survival instinct, and a lackluster effort on the Androids' part to finish him off were just a few. Though he didn't like admitting that last reason, even he had to say that if those two wanted him dead, he would've already been six feet under.

Sometimes he couldn't help but wonder why he fought them. It wasn't as if he were a challenge to them. There were times where he had thought he had an edge, only to recreate it and find the Androids had found a counter. The Kamehameha Wave and Special Beam Cannon were such edges that had been set into their appropriate places, ones in which the Androids labeled them. Curiously enough, they didn't let him use the beam cannon all but twice since he had almost defeated Seventeen; unfortunately the two times he had used it successfully they had dodged out of the way and then pounded on him. Too much ki was used up when using the attack to the point Gohan rarely called upon the technique. He had been using the Kamehameha more often, finding ways to increase its strength all the while. While the charge up time for that move was shorter than the beam cannon, it also used a little too much of his ki for him to be effective later in the battle.

He was going to need a new strategy to use against them soon.

Though while his fighting life was at a standstill, his personal life had taking on a life of its own. He hadn't been living in his childhood home for a good three years now, which would've given his mother a heart attack had it been for any reason other than him leaving the nest. That wasn't to say that Chichi had taken the idea well at first. She eventually settled in on the idea after awhile but she occasionally dropped hints that she'd like him to visit her and his grandfather more often.

Next there was Bulma and Trunks. The early years of the Androids' reign had secluded the Briefs from the Sons for awhile but had changed when Gohan had needed a place to recuperate at. He had no idea why he had forgotten about Bulma and she had made sure he wouldn't forget again. Trunks was growing up fast too. When ever his mother was not in the same room as the two, he was practically beg for the Son boy to begin teaching him to fight, something that Gohan was reluctant to do. It was one thing for him to fight and return home in a form barely recognized as normal; it was another thing for the eleven-year old to receive the same beating. It was inevitable that Trunks would join the fight sooner or later, but the demi-saiyan preferred it to be later. Much, much later.

Then there was Videl. Nearly three years since he met her and her memory was making a nice comeback. There were still gaping holes at points, but at others she remembered fully. She could finally say she knew Erasa and remembered some of their past exploits, even enjoy the blonde's company more than she did when they had "first met." She was less excited to remember Sharpner, but in her current situation, she'd take everything she could get. Birthday parties, large pieces of her childhood, and even moments of her parents had been recovered. Though her lack of memories with her mother troubled her, she latched onto anything she could find out about her father Hercule.

The Son boy frowned at this. The only Hercule he knew had been that man who challenged the Androids on South Island and if this was his daughter, he had a feeling there was going to be some rough times on the horizon. For him at least. He seemed to have a habit of hanging around strong-willed women that knew exactly how to make him feel like a whipped puppy.

Though Videl seemed to be anything but that, she still had moments where she could order him around like a drill sergeant. She was getting less and less clingy as her amnesia disappeared, though she still hated the thought of him leaving the house they shared. The Son boy supposed that despite her recovery, the idea of her being alone was too much to bear. And despite this turnaround, she seemed troubled by something concerning her memory, what exactly the Son boy didn't know. Perhaps there was something else missing despite recovering her past life.

Lately though, the girl had been acting a little different. When he had first met her, she had a preference for baggier clothing, but in the last few months, she had been wearing more form-fitting clothing. He wasn't too sure why, but for some reason it made him want to look at her more. Her mannerism was a bit more subdued as well, as if she didn't want to upset him. While that was a behavior she had when they first ran into each other, that had been due to unfortunate circumstances. This time she seemed to be choosing to act this way, which confused him. And she was giggling every so often.

It was a bit weird for the Son boy, yet he couldn't help but feel drawn towards her.

Sighing, Gohan opened his eyes and looked towards the setting sun, seeing it slowly sinking passed the horizon. It was about time he headed home.

* * *

Long white candles gave off a relaxing glow from the small flames that burned on them. The ceiling lights had been dimmed to a low level, giving the rest of the room a darkened look to it. The table in the kitchen had been draped with a lovely white tablecloth, two burning candles sitting right in the middle of it. Between the candles was a sterling silver vase, which held a fully bloomed rose. Surrounding the vase and candlesticks was a small, yet lovely feast of food. One could almost see the warm steam wafting from the various plates and bowls, a thick aroma of smell filling throughout the room.

And all Gohan could do was stare from the sitting room doorway, blinking his eyes in bewilderment.

Okay, this was new. He was pretty sure that tonight was his night to cook, though he wasn't complaining considering his stomach was just dying to be filled, especially after seeing the food. But why the candles and the dimmed lights? This was all very new to him. Who knew using the front door would yield a sight like this?

He heard a sound from behind him, causing the boy to turn around. Gohan's eyes fell upon Videl, who had stopped in place, staring at him a look of surprise. She had her hair tied back into a ponytail, which wasn't a style he usually saw her with. Her baggy shirt and sweatpants, on the other hand, were. "Y-you're home early," she stuttered.

Gohan couldn't help but look at a nearby clock. "I am?"

Something seemed to be running around in the girl's head for a moment before a determined look appeared on her face. "Never mind. How about we sit down and eat?"

That sounded like a good idea to him, so the Son boy nodded his head before turning to walk into the kitchen. He went to the side opposite of the doorway and sat down, waiting for Videl to take the other seat. The dark-haired girl followed suit soon, giving him a small smile before picking up one of the bowls and offering it to him. Taking it, Gohan took his share of its contents before setting it down and picking up another. The two sat in silence for several minutes, loading up their plates with what they wanted.

Feeling the call of his stomach growing stronger, Gohan gave into it as he began to eat, Videl watching him all the while. "I-I hope you like it," she said.

Gohan looked up at her, his mouth full. Smiling as best he could, he nodded his head and went back to stuffing his face, silence falling in between them.

And the food was good. He couldn't help but shove it into his mouth as fast as he could. Unfortunately, Videl didn't seem satisfied with that minimal answer as she tried starting up a conversation. "How was your day?"

Stopping in mid-shove, Gohan answered her with words. "It was okay."

Another silence passed.

"What did you do?"

"Not much. Just a little training."

More silence.

"Umm, do you like what I've done with the kitchen?"

For a moment, Gohan stopped eating and looked about the room. Due to the dim lighting, his attention kept coming back to the table, the light from the candles beckoning to look at them. Other than that, he really couldn't grasp any other difference. "It's alright. It's a bit dark, thought."

"That's the point," she practically growled through clenched teeth.

Gohan stared at the girl for a moment, his eyes blinking. "Uhh, okay," he said, a bit hesitant.

The two stared at each for several moments before Videl lowered her head and let out a sigh. One of her hands went up to her forehead and began rubbing her temples.

Watching Videl for a few moments, Gohan's eyes eventually wandered down in front of her before looking back at her face. "Umm, Videl?"

"Yes?" she replied wearily.

"Are you gonna eat that riceball?"

A look of resignation covered her face as she slid her plate forward. Gohan reached around the candles and vase and picked up the rice ball on her plate and tossed it into his mouth, munching on it happily. "Thanks Videl! That was really good!"

Propping her head up with left hand as her elbow stood on the table, the girl replied "No problem," not the least bit enthused.


	44. Crash and Burn

Would ya look at that. 100,000 words just flew by without me noticing. Well, it's been noticed now, but I didn't think the story would be that long. Crazy how things just fly by.

When I first wrote this chapter, I was listening to a song I had just bought and it wouldn't leave my head. And since the chapter echos the song fairly well, not completely but close, I thought I would name the chapter after it. So with that, I must give credit where credit is due. Not sure what the proper way to do it is but here it goes.

Inspired by Crash and Burn by Lifehouse

* * *

"You know, I can't figure out why you always come here, even after all the times we've beaten your ass."

Gohan could barely move his head, so the inch he did managed to lift it was a bit of an accomplishment. Unfortunately, he was having trouble keeping one eye open and the other was completely swollen shut. The rest of his body was in various phases of beaten, bloody, and hurt-so-bad-he wished-he was-somewhere-else. He was facedown in the dirt, a place he didn't really like being, and he had just lost control of his Super Saiyan powers, leaving him only in his normal form. Unfortunately, this was just how his life was nowadays.

Standing above him, Seventeen looked down on the injured Saiyan, his arms crossed over his chest and a blank look on his face. He had been the one to make the blunt statement a moment ago and it looked like he was waiting for some response.

And today had been going so well too.

"Well? I'm waiting; or has the cat gotten your tongue?" A smirk appeared on the dark-haired man's face. "Perhaps I can do something to help loosen it up."

The next thing Gohan knew, a large jolt of pain exploded in the side of his stomach, causing him to scream out in pain. Then he felt as if he were flying, though he was pretty certain he hadn't been using his ki to do so. The side of a building he suddenly hit confirmed that he hadn't been flying on his own volition. Landing on the floor of the building he had crashed into, he could feel pieces of debris landing on top of him, covering him somewhat, though not enough to completely hide him from sight.

He was definitely gonna feel that in the morning.

Several minutes passed before the Son boy realized that Seventeen wasn't coming after him. Either that or the Android was already in the room watching while he did his best impression of a fallen tree. Taking a deep breath, Gohan slowly forced himself onto his hands and knees, and then onto his feet. How he managed to get up after everything he'd been through today, he wasn't sure, and that thought wasn't something he needed to be worrying about. It was time to retreat. All the civilians that had the chance to flee the area had already done so and any possible survivors of the initial attack would've found some place to hide in the ruins.

And that was when Gohan felt a shiver run his spine. If he didn't know any better, he could've sworn he was being watched. Slowly turning his head, his eyes took in the sight of what must've been an office building. Desks were covered with papers and office supplies filled the entire room, though the little walls that made the cubicles were blaringly missing. Eventually, the young man's eyes fell upon a desk that was free of any supplies or documents. Instead, Android Eighteen sat on it, her hands pressed against the wooden surface behind her as she leaned backwards, one of her legs crossed over the other in front of her. Had she been anyone else, Gohan would've felt the urge to stare at her attention-grabbing pose. All he felt right now though was dread.

"It's about time you got up," the blonde woman said as she uncrossed her legs and pushed off desk. "I was getting worried you died on me."

Casually, the Android sauntered towards the demi-saiyan, stopping a few feet away from him. "You seem quiet," she commented, sounding a bit worried. "Perhaps I can help you with that."

With that, Eighteen raised one of her hands and gathered a sizeable amount of energy. Gohan could do nothing as she fired her attack at him, blanketing him with flames and smoke as he was thrown out of the building. A smoke cloud covered the floor of the building that the Son boy had just vacated from, a trail of smoke following his flying body. He soon felt his body arcing in the air, curving down towards the street pavement, which he crashed front first on a moment later. Letting out a gasp of pain, Gohan rolled onto his back as he tried to recover.

A few moments passed before he managed to catch his breath, allowing him to begin moving. Pushing off the ground, the Son boy managed to get onto his feet, his legs bent at the knee to put him in a crouch. Looking up, his good eye widened as much as it could, seeing both of the Androids standing before him, looking at his as if he were an insect.

"He just won't give up," Seventeen said to his counterpart, an amused look on his face.

"I wonder why that is," Eighteen replied.

"I doubt he'd tell us. Every time he says anything, it's about 'defeating us' or 'to stop hurting people.' Personally, I think we need to beat it out of him."

"And if he dies?"

"Then I guess we'll never know."

Gohan could feel his rage build up within him. These machines were talking about murder as if they were talking about the weather. Yes, there was no way he could stop them, especially in his current condition, but it angered him no less. His biggest problem though, was that there was nothing he could to stop them and with the way things were going, he was gonna end up getting killed.

There had to be a way out of this; something, anything that could give him enough time to either run or hide. Almost out of instinct, what ever ki he had left in him was gathering into his right hand. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough to at least damage the two. If he were to use this ki, he needed to use it wisely. Slowly his attention drifted down to their feet. Perhaps he could destroy the ground they were on? If they were caught by surprise, they'd fall into the sewer system underneath them. It was likely he'd fall in with them, but if he could manage to hold onto enough ki to fly, he could make an escape. Of course, he needed to catch them off guard and both of them looking at him was not what he would call off guard.

"I say we start with his arms and legs. That way he won't die too fast," Eighteen said, bringing the Son boy back to the Androids.

"Then we work our way in huh? Sounds like a plan to me," Seventeen agreed. "So which side do you want? Right or left? Arms or legs?"

Oh great, now they were deciding which part of him they were gonna torture. It was now or never for him to implement his plan; he just needed to think of the right distraction to start it. As each second passed and no sign of any idea appearing, Gohan began to feel desperate; so desperate that he did the first thing that came to mind. Pointing behind them, he cried out "What's that behind you?"

'Oh Kami, Gohan, was that the best you could do?' he chided himself. Seriously, it was the most childish thing he could have ever done, not to mention it being one of the oldest tricks in the book. It was so old that moss was growing on it.

Yet surprisingly, both Androids turned around to look behind him, wondering what the Son boy could possibly be pointing out. On any other occasion, Gohan would've blinked in disbelief. This time though, he took full advantage of this opportunity, taking his ki-charged hand and slamming it against the ground before him. The ki was released in a sudden, violent force immediately causing a tremor in the pavement. It didn't even take a moment for the street to destabilize and crumble beneath the three fighters. Caught off guard, both Androids lost their balances as the ground shifted and cracked in every which way, plunging them into the sewer system below.

As the piece of pavement he was one began to descend as well, Gohan pushed off of it with his worn out legs, the strain screaming at him as he jumped into the air. Fortunately, the damage he caused only covered about twenty feet in all directions, creating a circular hole in the middle of the street that stretched all the way until only a few inches were left between the pit and the buildings. Arcing, Gohan found himself about to land at the edge of the hole, but summoned as much ki as he could to keep him in the air. His descent stopped a couple feet above the broken asphalt, causing him to wobble in midair for a few moments. Pouring as much power as he could, he flew down the street for several blocks before making a left turn at an intersection. From there, he continued his escape, heading towards the edge of the city.

That was when a giant pillar of energy exploded from where the Saiyan had last seen the Androids, the pillar reaching high into the sky and causing the young man to stop his escape and fling himself out of sight behind a building. Peaking around the corner, he saw the pillar of energy fade away only to be replaced two specks in the sky, the Androids no doubt. From what he could see, his foes were looking around, not moving much from their point in the sky. They had to be pissed off, he mused.

Then both Androids moved within arm's reach of each other. A moment later a sphere of energy surrounded the two, taking on a golden glow to it. What ever those two were planning could not be good.

The next thing Gohan knew, balls of golden energy began flying from the larger energy sphere in the sky. Each ball of energy flew until it hit something, whether it be a building, the street, or even one of the few trees that had been planted within the city limits, an explosion detonating a second later.

With wide eyes, the Son boy unconsciously braced himself as he saw a few of those energy balls flying his way.

This was not going to end well.

* * *

Gohan leaned against the side of the building, the back door within arms reach. His breathing was heavy, as if he were trying to catch his breath. His orange gi was torn beyond recognition. The upper left side of the shirt was completely gone, revealing the blue undershirt beneath it. It barely held onto his torso by a strip that ran around his shoulder. The blue shirt had a few holes in it but didn't seem too worse for wear. His pants though, were missing a leg and were dotted with holes, the biggest one being on his left knee. Burns and gashes littered his body, yet somehow he was in one piece.

There was no way around this one. He needed to use one of his few remaining senzu beans. He was gonna have to make another trip to Korin's soon, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't be getting many when he did. In fact, he felt as if it would be his last trip there. That didn't matter at this point though; he needed a bean right now or he swore he would collapse from his injuries and fall into one of those never-ending sleeps.

And having someone find his dead body right outside his backdoor was not something he wanted to go through.

It had taken some time for the Androids to finish their assault on the city. They had to have been really steamed to do what they did and Gohan felt ever bit of it. Still felt it. Once they had finished their tantrum, they had left the city, giving the Son boy all the time in the world to dig himself out of the rubble and make his way home. Considering that the sun was long gone, he had a feeling it had taken more time than usual to come home since it had been daylight when he begun.

When he felt he had enough strength in him, he raised his arm closest to the door up to the security panel. Pressing a button on the panel, he then dropped his arm and waited patiently for the door to open. Several minutes had passed before the door slid open and Videl barreled out of it.

"Where the heck have you—" she started yelling before her eyes found him and she fell quiet. Apparently his late arrival had angered the girl, he mused. Any anger now though, was replaced with concern. "Gohan, what happened to you?"

"Not…a good day…Androids," was all he could get out between gasps. Though his breathing wasn't as labored as it had been mere minutes earlier, it still took a lot out of him to even say those words.

Immediately, Videl closed in on him, leaning his body onto hers as she placed his arm over her shoulders and wrapped her arm around his waist. Slowly, she helped him into the house, the door sliding shut behind them.

"This is going to take awhile," the girl muttered as the two moved towards the sitting room. "We're gonna have to restock on bandages after this."

Gohan stopped moving forward, causing the girl to stop with him. Shaking his head, he said "No bandages…need senzus."

"What?" the dark-haired asked, trying to figure out what he meant.

The two moved towards a couch were Videl carefully set the injured demi-saiyan down. "In my room…on dresser…small brown bag…" Gohan said, learning back into the couch.

Without responding, Videl headed towards the Son boy's room, opening the door and walking into it. Her hand searched the wall next to her, seeking a light switch to light up the dark room. When her fingers ran over the switch, she flicked it on and watched as the room brightened up, revealing a bed, dresser, nightstand, and chair. Looking towards the dresser, she immediately located the bag the boy had mentioned earlier. Grabbing it, she headed back to Gohan, holding the bag out to him once she was next to him.

Swallowing, the boy said "I'll need some help. Reach in…and grab a bean."

Videl stared at him as if he were crazy, but did as he asked. Opening the bag, she reached in and found a few small objects in it. Grabbing one of them, she pulled out her hand and found a small, light green bean in between her fingers. This was what he wanted? A bean that couldn't even be used in a three-bean salad?

Apparently, the Son boy wanted to eat it as he looked at her expectantly. Unsure, she slowly extended her arm to him, holding the bean out. Gohan opened his mouth and waited for the girl to place the bean it, closing it and chewing once it was in. After swallowing, he waited until he felt its effects take over.

The next thing either of them knew, Gohan's body suddenly convulsed and expanded, contracting a moment later with the demi-saiyan uninjured. Sighing, Gohan stood back on his feet, feeling reinvigorated and alert.

Videl looked at him with wide eyes. She blinked them a couple times before reaching out with one hand, searching for any sign of his previous wounds.

Gohan watched with amusement as her search went fruitlessly. Once that thought was confirmed in her mind, her eyes narrowed, causing the Son boy to lose any sign of amusement. "How long have you had those beans?" she asked with a bit of steel in her tone.

The demi-saiyan gulped. "This batch I think for awhile."

"So you could've used these when ever you came home beaten to a pulp?"

"Well, I only use these when I absolutely—"

"Why didn't you use them every time you're bleeding out of every part of your body? Huh?" Videl shouted, her anger covering her face. "I spent so many times putting you back together and all you had to do was eat one stinking bean and make it disappear! You jerk!"

Somehow, Gohan swore that the short girl was actually ten feet tall and getting bigger. He hadn't cowered away from someone in long while and it looked as if he hadn't lost a step in that department. "B-but I can't use them a-all the time."

"Why not?"

"There's not m-many of them. I can only get a few of them at a time."

Videl glared at him, not quite believing him. "You get these from someone?"

"Yeah."

"What is he? Some kind of drug dealer or something? Does he just gives you enough to keep you coming back?"

Gohan shook his head hurriedly. "No, he just has one way to grow these beans and that way doesn't produce many. So if I use them all when ever I get hurt, I wouldn't have one when I truly needed it."

The girl's features softened, as if what he was saying was making sense to her. "Oh," was all she said before she seemingly shrank back to her normal size. After some time she asked "How many do you think you'll get the next time you go get them?"

Gohan sighed. "Not many. I'm thinking my next trip is going to be my last."

"What? Why?"

"Just this gut instinct," the Saiyan said as he moved to sit back down on the couch. Warily, he laid his head back, feeling his head bend a bit until the back of his head met the top of the couch. His eyes closed and open slowly, something he wasn't used to after having a senzu. Perhaps he was more tired than he realized. Or maybe his internal clock was telling him it was time to get some shut eye; after all it was dark out.

Suddenly, he felt the couch dip a little to his side, Videl sitting right next to him. She mimicked his position as she leaned back. The Son boy couldn't help but feel the closeness of the girl. She was practically touching the side of his body with hers. Yet he didn't scoot away from her. It was…nice to have her there.

Slowly, Videl's head tilted until it was laying on his shoulder, using it as an impromptu pillow. The rest of her body leaned into him soon after, the girl making herself comfortable against him. Thoughts of them going to their bedrooms and using their own beds, rousing Videl from her place next to him, even talking with her to see what she wanted to do didn't cross Gohan's mind.

Instead, they sat next to each other until the sun rose.

* * *

To Razamataz22: But not the best wait to get their attention lol


	45. Interlude

It stood in the middle room, a metal skeleton unlike anything Gohan had ever seen. It was just metal and steel welded together at this point, but according to Bulma, this was the hope for their world.

All around the room, various electronics, equipment, and materials gave a wide birth around the metal frame, causing the eye to go right to it upon entering the room. The Son boy had gotten a call out of the blue from the Briefs woman, who sounded like a seven year old on Christmas day. All she had said was for him to get his butt over to her house and hung up on him.

The first thing he did was wonder how Bulma had managed to call him. As far as he knew, all phone lines were down. Knowing her, she had someway to contact people between her buildings. The second was if he should pack a lunch. Judging by Bulma's excited tone, he had the feeling he was going to be over for quite awhile. Who knew if she would make anything while she was tinkering around outside of a kitchen.

Walking around the frame, Gohan studied it. The body of this future invention seemed to be a large cylindrical shape with four legs it stood. Nothing else could be discerned from the thing without the help of a genius or a blueprint. Even though he thought himself pretty smart, Bulma was the expert in this field.

Suddenly, the young man's eye fell across a drawing table with several large sheets of paper. Immediately, he recognized it as Bulma's workbench, the place where she created all of her designs and put on paper. Moving to it, he saw the specs of what she had titled "The Time Machine." Four legs, a large body with tanks attached, and a domed head was the picture he saw and after noticing the measurements of the device, it was gonna be big.

"So what do ya think?" he heard the familiar voice of Bulma ask from somewhere behind him.

"It's big," was all he said, still looking through all of the formulas.

"It took me the better part of a year figuring out the right design for it," Bulma said as she drew closer to him. "Unfortunately, due to the formulas involved, this thing is gonna take a lot of juice to power. With the tech we have today, I don't think we could do more than two stops, three at the most."

"How long will it take to power it up?"

"Once again, with this tech, a lot more time than I'm comfortable with."

Gohan grimaced. It seemed this time machine idea was a lot more complicated than he or the Briefs woman had thought. Though he hadn't been pinning his hopes on it, he knew that it represented one front to fight the Androids with. With this unfortunate news, it seemed the idea was more of a long shot than his defeating the Androids.

He wouldn't tell that to Bulma's face, of course.

"Have you tried doing different formulas? Anything that'll trim down on the power capacity and usage?" he asked, trying to sound encouraging.

"There's a couple more I think I can try out," he heard the blue-haired woman respond, the sounds of tools being moved about. "I don't think it'll change much but if it makes it more efficient, it'll be worth the effort."

Turning around, the Son boy found Bulma dressed in a full body suit and apron, a welding helmet sitting on her head. In her hands were a torch and igniter, both ready to be used. "Could you do me a favor?" the woman asked him. Gesturing towards one of the walls, a pile of metal leaning against it came into view. "I need you to hold some of coverings against the frame. Think you can do that?"

Gohan walked to the pile, picking up one of the heavy pieces. If he wasn't mistaken, all of the parts in the pile were metal plating, each with a slight curvature to their form. "What are you planning to use them for?" he asked, taking the plating in this hands back to the metal frame.

"Well, I'm gonna weld a few of them to the frame," Bulma answered, igniting the torch. The familiar hissing sound from the torch filled the room as both persons met at one side of the frame.

Frowning, Gohan said "Shouldn't you be working on the technological components first?"

"I'd have to put them somewhere," the blue-haired woman replied. "And it'd be easier to put them together if I have an idea of where they can go and how much space they have to take up. We're only gonna be putting half of the body on anyways."

"What ever you say, Bulma."

Instead of responding this time, the Briefs woman waited for the Son boy to press the piece of metal plating against the frame. After adjusting it until it was in the place she wanted it to be, she began welding the pieces of metal together, the alloys glowing from the intense heat being applied to them.

The smell of burning metal reached the Saiyan after a few moments, causing him to wrinkle his nose in discomfort. He hoped Bulma wouldn't take too long with this task.

* * *

It had been a reoccurring dream for the last few nights. It had started off unfocused, shrouded in some sort of mist. The only things she could make out were two children, one sitting in a chair and the other laying on a bed. Each time the dream came, more and more would be revealed. The place they were in was some sort of hospital room, a doctor would enter and exit from the door a couple times. The doctor's mouth would move, but she hardly heard any sound come from it. The only thing she would hear were the two children talking.

"_I'm sorry…I couldn't save him."_

"_At least he died fighting."_

"_Satan? I think I've heard that name before"_

"_I'm the daughter of the World Champion, Hercule Satan."_

"_Son Gohan."_

Those were some of the lines Videl could still hear echoing in her head. Those children, they had been her and Gohan after one of the Android fights. From what she could tell, Gohan had known her father, that her father had been killed and Gohan was there when it happened.

They had known each other as well.

What this meant, Videl didn't know. How much did Gohan know about her past? How long had he known and didn't tell her? According to her dream, the two had at least introduced themselves. Yet she needed more.

With that said, the dark-haired girl couldn't say she was particular happy with the Son boy. For some reason, she felt she would have railroaded him for it in her previous life. But that was her past self, not who she was now. Now, she felt she at least owed him to tell her why he never mentioned anything. He had taken care of her for so long, never leaving her alone when she had been completely lost. If he had a good reason for not telling her, then something could be salvaged. If he didn't…well, she really hoped things wouldn't come down to that.

Just thinking about that scenario caused a sickening feeling to settle in her stomach. Over the pass several months, Videl had been trying to get the Son boy's attention. Her initial plan had been to have a romantic dinner with him, but that had been spoiled by his early arrival and then his huge appetite. She should've known better than to try and get him to notice her with food in between them.

The time they had spent next together on the couch had been a bigger success. She hadn't been sure what Gohan would've done when she sat so close to him, then leaned against his shoulder. She had been pleasantly surprised when he allowed it instead of bolting for the closest window. Heck, it may just be her own bias but she thought the two of them were getting closer and closer to each other the last few weeks.

But now, she had no idea what was going to happen. They were going to have a long time about this when he got home. Hopefully things would work out and they could go on with their lives.

Damn it, why didn't he just tell her before she found out this way?


	46. Reckoning

Gohan returned from Bulma's early. Good, she was ready for him. Videl wanted to get this over with.

She waited for him in the sitting room, her eyes trained on the kitchen doorway. She heard the backdoor slide open, just as she had expected. When the Son boy walked in, he froze, taking notice of the serious expression on her face. "We need to talk," was all the girl said.

That made the young man swallow, the look of a deer in the headlights on his face. "Okay," was all he said before slowly walking towards the couch. Sitting down, he put all of his attention on Videl, though he showed signs of nervousness.

"I've been having these dreams," Videl started, keeping her eyes trained on Gohan. "I've been having them for last week or so and you're in them."

Gohan slowly nodded his head. "What am I doing in them?"

"Well, both of us are in this room; a hospital room actually. You looked as if you had been beaten up by the Androids and I was talking to you about something."

Gohan's brow creased, signifying that he was following her, though he had no clue about where this was going. Allowing a small silence to pass, Videl started again. "We were arguing. I wanted you to teach me how to fight and you kept refusing. There were even a couple of things about my father."

This time the Son boy stiffened. He knew where she was leading him now; he knew exactly what she was talking about. This made her narrow her eyes slightly as she went in for the kill, so to speak. "Considering that we were both young, just barely passed being kids, it occurred to me that this was a memory of mine."

Once again, the Son boy nodded his head, though this time it appeared he was wanting her to continue instead of acknowledging her claim. Something flickered in his eyes though, and Videl could tell that he was recalling exactly what she was talking about.

"So this would mean that we knew each other before we met in Orange Star. I want to know, is this true? Did you know me before I lost my memory?"

Gohan was silent for a few moments. All the while, Videl felt herself hold her breath as she waited for his answer. Finally, he said "Yes, we met before."

Videl clinched one of her hands into a fist, the only sign that those words affected her. Her breathing resumed in controlled bursts, allowing the young man's words to settle in her mind. She could feel her anger bubbling up inside of her, but she didn't want to let it loose just yet. She still had questions to ask him and since Gohan seemed to be in an answering mood, the dark-haired girl wanted to milk it for its worth.

"Why didn't you tell me then?" she asked the damning question. Though she had a few more she could've asked, this was the most important one she had.

Once again, Gohan paused, seeming to search for the right words, or so she hoped. "When we first ran into each other in Orange Star, I didn't recognize you. I didn't even think of anything other than getting you out of harm's way and then to somewhere safe. Once you were, I was trying to help you get back on your feet."

A partial answer; not good enough. Still, she needed to stay calm for just a bit longer. Videl could give him their "initial" run-in since they did have some homicidal machines after them. "So after that, why not?"

Gohan let out a loud sigh. "Honestly, I didn't remember. Ever since the Androids came, my life's just been one big blur with occasional high points and many lows. It wasn't until those old friends of yours showed up that it came back to me."

"And then?"

"I should have told you soon after, but I couldn't work up the courage. You seemed so happy to have something of your past with you and I didn't want to take it away by telling you that someone important to you was dead."

"That's it? That's why you never told me?" Videl responded. She wasn't liking his reasoning thus far and each second brought her closer and closer to trying to beat him up.

For once, Gohan looked her in the eye. "How would you feel if I told you I failed to save your father?"

It seemed as if time had frozen in place. What ever she felt at the moment stopped in her chest. So the memory was right. Gohan had been there when her father was killed and he hadn't told her because…because…

Damn it all! Videl wanted to tear her hair out and scream. It hurt to hear this, yet she couldn't fault Gohan for trying to protect her. But this wasn't something he should've swept under the rug and hoped no one went looking for it. She felt torn between the small amount of sympathy of Gohan's position and the burning anger that filled her body.

"If I had told you about that," Gohan said suddenly, bringing her focus back to him. "If I had told you about this memory back then, how do you think you would've acted?"

What did that have to do with anything? She was vulnerable back then, just barely getting onto her feet and…and…

Some of her anger faded. She had been as fragile as glass back then. When Erasa and Sharpner had just introduced themselves, she had bawled her eyes out onto Gohan. What if he had told her then about her father dying when she held out hope he was alive? She…she really needed to think about this long and hard. That didn't mean that Gohan was forgiven, but she wasn't as mad as she felt earlier. Perhaps it would be a good idea if she thought about this before she did something she'd regret. Just looking at Gohan told her that he felt remorse for holding out this crucial piece of information and that would have to be enough for the time being.

"We're not done with this," Videl finally said. "I need to think about this. I don't know how long, but I need to. And you _will _tell me everything that happened that day, got it?"

Gohan nodded his head in acknowledgment. "When ever you are ready."

Videl nodded her head and stood up, walking towards the closest doorway. "You're on your own for dinner," was the last thing she said before disappearing into the hallway beyond.

* * *

Gohan stared into the empty doorway Videl had disappeared into. He didn't know what to say or do about this conflict. Obviously the girl was hurt and angry. Yet she held it all behind a calm mask, something he was sure she wasn't able to do a couple years ago.

The young man didn't doubt they would be speaking of this again too. As it was made apparently clear, he held answers to questions she wanted answered. At this point, he was pretty sure he'd tell her every last detail she wanted to know, even if it he didn't wish to. She wanted to know, perhaps needed to know.

Sighing, Gohan stood up and walked out of the house, standing in the backyard as he looked up to the sky. A not quite full moon floated in the dark sky, illuminating enough light to make the yard visible. It was slightly chilly at the moment, not too uncommon for this time at night. It always seemed that the air was cleaner as well, as if the darkness pushed aside the usual polluted smells that lived in the city. Taking a deep breath, the Son boy wiped his mind clean of everything that was chaotic.

Things needed to be set right with the dark-haired girl, there was no other way around it. He hadn't been raised to turn tail and run when ever a problem presented itself, whether that be the Androids or a friend who just happened to be mad at him.

Gohan would let Videl have her space for now. Once she was ready, he was sure she'd talk to him. Let her come when she was ready to hear what he had to say. And he'd be sure to apologize profusely. He couldn't help but notice women liked a man to throw themselves at their mercies every once in awhile.

But then his knowledge of how women acted was very limited. Bulma was definitely one that wanted to see someone beg for forgiveness. His mother would be easily placated if you gave her what she wanted, which for the long time was for him to study. Gohan hadn't really seen Videl upset, at least towards him. So it was possible that he was dealing with a completely different matter when it came to apologizing.

Well, he'd have the opportunity to find out soon. Though to be honest, he rather that he didn't have to.

* * *

To deseane101: I believe there will be some happiness for the two down the road.


	47. It Was a Start

It was several days before Gohan heard Videl speak to him. She'd been silent anytime he had been near her, her eyes never looking at him, her attention on what ever task she was setting out to do. She didn't go near him either; it was like she was trying to pretend he didn't exists or didn't want any interaction with him. It was discerning for the Son boy. Three years straight of conversation and then a sudden radio silence threw him off.

He couldn't help the relief he felt when she first spoke to him. "Are you doing anything today?" she had asked. It wasn't much but he'd take hearing her voice mumbling gibberish for an hour and not care.

"No, not at all," he remembered himself replying. He wasn't sure what he was doing at that moment, but he stopped doing it and had turned to face her, staring into her blue eyes once more.

"Good," Videl said. "I want to know more about my father. Everything about him, even how he…" she paused for a moment, "…died."

Gohan did his best to hide the wince he felt coming. Not the ideal conversation he wanted to have with her as their first in awhile, but he did vow to tell her what ever she wanted to know. Today would be another rough day, not only for Videl but for him.

"Alright," he said before heading to the sitting room. Videl followed after him and waited for him to take a seat on one of the couches. She sat down on the couch opposite his, looking at him as if she were ready to dissect a bug. Not knowing where to start, Gohan asked "Where do you want me to start?"

There was a hardening of the girl's features, a sign that she wasn't pleased to hear the question, but she answered it nonetheless. "The beginning. How did you meet my father? I want to know everything and I do mean everything."

Gohan began thinking about his first encounter with Hercule Satan. Eight, almost nine years ago if his memory served correctly. Kami, had it really been that long? "I was at home, doing homework when I heard a radiobroadcast. The announcer was saying your father was the new World Martial Arts Champion and said that he would be defeating the Androids soon. I wouldn't have cared about it, but one of the Androids had mentioned they listened to the radio in one of our previous battles. I then flew to South Island to try and stop them.

"When I got there, they had already slaughter countless people. They were just about to kill your dad…and I think you were there too."

Videl perked up at that. Almost franticly, Gohan tried to remember anything about that moment, something that he could tell to appease her. "You were holding onto him and he was trying to shield you from them. I managed to get the Androids' attention on me and distracted them long enough for you two to leave the island."

"Why did he leave the island?" the dark-haired girl asked curiously.

"To get you out of there. He told me that when he came back and dug me out of a pile of rubble. We talked for a bit; he seemed like a humble enough guy. But then he said he wanted to help me fight the Androids and we should join forces. I refused."

"Why?" Videl's voice was harsh-sounding, almost demanding. Gohan had expected that though.

"I didn't want to put him into harm's way," the young man explained. "You've seen what those machines can do. I didn't want him to get caught in their wrath. He wasn't happy to hear that and we parted on less than amicable terms."

Sighing, Gohan added "That was the end of our first meeting."

"But you met up again," the dark-haired girl stated. "How many times?"

"Once more. Your dad had…provoked the Androids."

That caught Videl off guard as she recoiled back as if she were hit by a truck. "Why would he do that? He had to know how dangerous they were."

"I don't really know," Gohan admitted. "He did seem happy to see me when I got to the island."

"Do you mean the same place as last time?"

"Yes. Hercule had put out another broadcast to challenge the Androids on South Island. They had roughed him up by the time I arrived. I then fought them and told Hercule to leave. He didn't listen and tried to attack the Androids when they had me beaten. That's when they killed him…"

Gohan watched as Videl's head lowered, her gaze aimed at the floor between them, her eyes watering slowly. "What…" she stopped, swallowing back her emotions, "what was he like?"

The Son boy leaned back into the couch, looking up at the roof. It could've been a trick of the lights or his mind was playing games with him, but he could've sworn he saw an image of the man smirking in all of his glory. "He was very confident. And contradictory. One moment he would admit his deficiencies, the next it was if he could conquer the world. He cared for you very much. That was one thing he always talked about."

A tear fell down the girl's cheek. A silence fell amongst the two for quite some time. Every once in awhile, Videl would make a sniffling sound, but otherwise the only thing either of the two heard was their own breathing. Eventually, Videl broke the silence. "Then you and I talked in that hospital room?"

"I believe so. You wanted me to teach you to fight if I remember right."

"You said no." Once again, Videl's calm façade was back up.

"You called me an idiot," Gohan retorted, a small smile on his face. "Said I was being too much like a guy and that I was going to train you no matter what."

The girl soaked that in before a corner of her mouth twitched up. "You left without giving me an answer."

On reflex, Gohan began scratching the back of his head. It seemed she remembered him disappearing on her.

Her shoulders sagged slightly as she returned her vision to the ground. "Probably for the best. There's no way I could stand up against them."

Gohan remained silent. He wasn't sure what else to say or where to lead the conversation, figuring the dark-haired girl would do so when ready. "Is there anything else?" she finally asked after awhile.

"I don't think so," he replied. "But if I do run across something, I'll be sure to let you know."

Videl nodded her head before standing up. "I'll see you later," was all she said before she left the room. This left Gohan to contemplate about the conversation. It had definitely ended on better terms and Videl didn't seem to be as mad with him as the last time. Whether she'd continue to talk to him was still up in the air, but he felt that things would get better.

* * *

Videl had spent the rest of the day thinking about everything Gohan had told her. For once, she was sure he was telling her the truth. There wasn't anything she could tell from his actions that hinted at him hiding something from her—just as she wanted it.

She had been hurt to know the one person she depended on had been hiding things from her, important things she wanted to know, no, needed to know. She hadn't known what to do with him after learning that so she avoided him. Any time she had no choice but to be in the same room, she ignored him, or at least tried to. More like she just didn't talk to him if she were truly honest. Regardless, she could see the relief in him when she had spoken up earlier. She saw that as a good thing.

What ever time she had given him between their recent conversation and the one before, it seemed Gohan had taken that seriously and came clean to her. It was a step forward to reconciliation.

But the healing wasn't done just yet. It would take awhile but they weren't near done with this incident. Videl didn't know how long it would take for her to not be wary of everything the Son boy said. If he hid this from her, what else was there?

Yet, it was a start.

* * *

Ugh, another short one. Sorry about that everyone. It's weird how you imagine something taking up a whole chapter and it turns out to be...not that long. This stuff outside of fighting is hard lol. I'll get it one of these days.


	48. Dead Memories

Well, all of you readers, especially the reviewers, had the same thing to say about my frustration: get back to work, ya pansy! Lol, not in those exact words, but I just saw a commercial with R. Lee Ermey and I'd imagine he'd say something like that, only a bit more colorfully. So, here's more plot development. Enjoy.

* * *

Things were just getting back to normal between the two dark-haired youths. Aside from the occasional Android attack and subsequent patching-up, the two were talking more and more to each other. Gohan's cover-up of their first meeting was slowly fading away, almost as if it had never happened. It had been a few months since then and everything seemed to be alright.

That was until Videl wanted to go see her father's burial site.

Gohan hadn't a clue what prompted this. Although she had been hesitant at times, it seemed the dark-haired girl wanted to see what had become of the last place she had seen her father. Was the town still in one piece? Was her father buried there and if so, was it well kept? All of these questions would pop up when she spoke of going on this journey.

Naturally, the Son boy wanted to help her out and volunteered to take her there when she was ready. She hadn't taken long to pack a capsule of things they would need, which surprised him. Apparently Videl was expecting for them to be gone for a few days.

The next day the couple had taken off for Coast Town. It was a bit awkward for the young man to have his arms wrapped around Videl's waist, along with her arms around his neck, but she claimed to prefer flying that way. She also didn't seem to mind pressing herself closely to his body, though he supposed it was so she could hang on better to him during flight. Yet his mind focused on the closeness as if it were the only thing happening, which resulted in a certain bodily reaction that had been occurring more and more recently.

He really hoped she hadn't noticed that yet.

As naïve as he tended to be, Gohan couldn't help but feel like Videl was up to something. For the last few weeks she had been doing things that she normally wouldn't do. A touch that lingered longer than usual, a more overt niceness than he was use to seeing from her, even times where she would find someway to be close to him had occurred. There were a few other things that had happened, like having her hair cut fairly short, but what they all added up to he didn't know. Though he had to admit her new hair style did work for her.

Since Videl insisted they weren't in any rush, they had taken their time flying to the south. The day was pleasant enough and Gohan couldn't see anything wrong with a casual flight, so he flew them at a steady pace, no need for his aura to quicken their speed.

It was some time after lunch that they had arrived in Coast Town. Not sure how the town folk would take to the two landing in the middle of town, Gohan had stopped their flight a small ways from the village. There was a bit of reluctance on Videl's part to actually end the flight, but she agreed that walking into town was a smarter idea than flying in. Yet she didn't move vary far from him as they began walking. She even grabbed his hand for some reason, not that he minded.

It wasn't long until the couple had entered town. Compared to most places on the planet, Coast Town was clean. There were some scorch marks and cracked pavement at random points, but the citizenry had kept maintenance of the village well. Locals could be seen going about their usual routines, not paying mind at all to the dark-haired youths.

Looking around, Videl said "Where do you think they're keeping my father?"

Gohan shrugged. "Not sure. I guess we could ask someone."

Spotting a middle-aged woman nearby, the demi-saiyan led them towards her. "Ma'am? Can we ask you a question?"

The woman looked towards them and gave a smile. "Yes you can, though I think you may want to ask me a second one."

The familiar Son grin appeared on the young man's face, his unoccupied hand moving up to begin scratching the back of his head. "Umm, yeah. Could you tell us where the resting place for Mr. Satan is? We'd—"

The woman interrupted him with a chuckle. "Is it that time of the year already? Just head to the north side of town. It's by the cherry blossom tree."

"Which one?"

"There's only one cherry blossom up there. It was planted when they buried him."

Gohan nodded his head. "Thank you."

Before he took a step forward, the demi-saiyan felt his arm being held back. Turning to look, he found Videl standing in place, still looking at the woman. "When you said 'that time of the year already,'" she asked, "what did you mean by that?"

"Hmm?" the woman looked a bit confused before answering "We have many people who visit the town to pay their respects to Mr. Satan. Most of them are young people like yourselves."

"Thank you," the Satan girl replied before turning to walk away. Gohan began walking again, keeping his pace the same as the girl next to him. A glance from the corner of his eye told him she was in a contemplative mindset, something he wasn't about to interrupt. Strolling through the village, neither gave much attention to the buildings or people around them. Some of the town folk would stop what they were doing to watch the pair for a moment before carrying on with their tasks.

Eventually, the couple found themselves leaving the edge of town and finding a small hill in front of them. On top of the hill was a thin-trunked cherry blossom tree, its branches reaching out fairly far for its kind. Small pink flower petals covered the tree, giving it a very tranquil presence.

And on the ground in front and slightly to a side of tree was a large stone gravestone. The mixture of light and dark grays gave the stone slab an aged look to it, as if it had been there for decades. Engraved on the marker's surface were the words "HERCULE SATAN" in large bold font. Beneath that in a smaller font were the words "Champion of the World."

Standing a few yards in front of it, the two dark-haired youths stared at the stone marker. Gohan could feel Videl tightening her grip on his hand, causing him to look at her. The young woman was trying to keep her emotions under control, but looked as if it wasn't working. Her eyes were beginning to glisten with unshed tears.

"Hi…Daddy," Videl said, her voice sounding choked. "It's been a long time since I last saw you."

She paused for a moment to rub her eyes with a hand. "I'm…sorry it took so long to come." Once again, she fell silent, trying to think of anything to say. Finally giving up after several moments, she said "I don't know what to say."

Gohan stared at her a second before turning his body to face her. Moving his arms, he wrapped them around the girl, who turned into and repeated his action. Videl began to visible shake against him, the sounds of soft gasps and sniffs being covered by the Son boy's shirt. It wasn't long after that he began to feel his shirt growing wet.

Instinctively, Gohan began rubbing the dark-haired girl's back, doing his best to comfort her. It had been quite some time since he had last held Videl like this, so vulnerable to everything around her.

Looking over to the stone, Gohan couldn't help but whisper softly "I'll take care of her, Mr. Satan."

* * *

The inn in Coast Town was very welcoming. Gohan hadn't intended on staying in the village but his companion didn't look as if she were ready for the return flight back to Ginger Town. They had stayed near the Hercule's grave for some time, losing track of time until the familiar sunset colors of red, orange, and purple graced the sky. The decision to stay at the local inn had been made soon after.

Unfortunately for him, his stomach began demanding food once they returned to town. Videl had chuckled at that and suggested they find something to eat. Fortunately, the inn had its own kitchen so eating in the inn's dinning room was a pleasing option. Though Gohan had feasted on the food they had received, he couldn't help but notice the lack of appetite the Satan girl had shown.

To say he was worried would be a correct statement. Videl was being distant and the young man had no idea how to help her. That made him uncomfortable. Usually he could fight the problem that bothered people, but in this case there was nothing he could fight. He was useless.

So when the two of them entered their room, Gohan decided that perhaps he needed to be direct with the dark-haired girl. If he could discern what was bothering her, he'd be able to help her or so his thinking went.

Moving right for the bed, the Son boy sat on it, facing the Satan girl. "Videl," he began, "is something bothering you?"

The girl paused before turning away from him. "Why do you ask?"

"You haven't quite been yourself since we visited you father's grave. I know that losing someone is painful and I want to help you."

Videl hung her head. "How can you lose someone if you don't know them?"

That answer had caught the Son boy off guard. "What do you mean?"

"It's…it's like I never met the man," Videl began, her shoulders shaking. "I have memories of him in my life, but I don't feel anything about him. I don't know how he made me feel as a little girl. I see him having a birthday party for me, but I don't feel anything. Excited, upset, loving, I don't feel any of those. It's like I'm watching a movie of someone else's life!"

By this point, Videl's voice had grown louder. She wasn't quite shouting, but she was getting there. She was fully facing the Son boy, her body gesturing wildly. "And it's the same with Erasa! I've spent the last few years trying to remember everything we did as friends and I don't feel a connection at all! I see the memories of what happened but I don't live them!" Once again, her head dropped. "I thought that coming here would help me feel some of it—some of my old life even if it was just for a moment. All I got was nothing instead."

So that's why she wanted to come. It made some sense to Gohan. All of those recollections weren't really hers since she hadn't experienced them. The day he had found her, she had been a blank slate. Any feelings she had towards her old life would be ones she had now, not at the time she had initially experience them—and the emotions a young girl and woman had towards experiences were two different things.

Seeing as there wasn't much he could say that would help his friend, Gohan decided that action would be his best move. Standing up, he approached Videl and wrapped his arms around her, pulling the girl into his body. There was no resistance on Videl's part as she returned the hug, burying her head into his chest. For awhile, Gohan expected to feel tears to once again wet his shirt, yet it didn't happen as moments stretched on into minutes.

A slight shift in the Satan girl's body alerted the demi-saiyan to Videl's restlessness. "Thank you Gohan," he heard her murmur. "You're so nice to me."

"Umm, you're nice too," the Son boy replied, not quite sure if that was the proper response.

He soon felt Videl tilt her head up, which caused him to look down, seeing the dark-haired girl looking up at him. Gohan couldn't help but gaze into her unwavering eyes. It was fortunate that he was too as there was something in them that he couldn't quite name. Something intense from what he could tell, but that disappeared behind a look of determination that covered the young woman's face.

The next thing Gohan knew, he could Videl's lips pressed against him. Somewhere between looking at her and feeling her, the dark-haired girl had closed her eyes and rose up onto the front of her feet to catch him off guard. This was…new.

His own recollections of what would happen next could be best described as flashes. One moment he's being kissed, the next he's returning it. Then they had somehow moved next to the bed, still in lip-lock. Then they were on the bed, his back against the mattress and Videl lying on top of him.

And then something wondrous followed.

* * *

To UltimateGohan42: It seems there's a general agreement with that sentiment. I guess I'll just have to adapt.


	49. Cracks

Videl hadn't intended for what happened that night to happen. The trip to Coast Town was just a chance to feel something about her past. That, of course, didn't mean she couldn't enjoy some things along the way, particularly Gohan's presence. She had figured he wouldn't understand some of her actions, but at least he didn't complain.

Unfortunately, nothing came to her that made her feel connected to the man that was supposed to be her father. That had hurt considerably. As much as she wished to deny it, there was no going back to the way she was before. There was no magic moment that would restore her memory or her former personality. Any influences from that past might as well have never existed.

So when Gohan comforted her in their room, it occurred to her that despite everything, this man was the one constant that she had held to throughout these last few years. Who knows where she would've ended up had Gohan not rescued her?

So for everything he had done for her, Videl felt she needed to thank him in some way. Being as she didn't have anything to give him, a kiss was the next best thing. She hadn't expected that kiss to land them both in the same bed, not that she was complaining. It was nice to wake up and find herself being held in the demi-saiyan's arms.

And once they returned to Ginger Town, Videl felt that she wanted to wake up to that many more times. The two had been sharing a bed ever since.

So when Erasa heard of this development, she had promptly exclaimed "You did what?"

Somehow, someway, the blonde had figured out that something had changed with the dark-haired girl. It had taken her a week or so to determine that, but once she was positive of her conviction, she demanded to know what was going on. And since Videl was in a pretty good mood, she had answered honestly.

"You heard me," Videl replied, failing to hide her amusement. The two of them were at Erasa's house for a change and the dark-haired girl had to say it looked cozy. Blue plush carpet covered the floor with green sofa, a wooden coffee table, and TV stand taking up most of the room's space. There was a flower wallpaper covering all of the walls, though the young woman couldn't see if they continued into the hallways.

"B-b-but, I thought you'd never go through with something like this," Erasa stammered, still stunned.

This time Videl shrugged as she said "Sometimes things happen."

"I guess that's true," Erasa admitted as she began considering everything she'd been told. That was when a smirk covered the girl's face. "So, how was it?"

Videl cocked an eyebrow. "And I should tell you why?"

"Oh come on! You can't just say you had sex and then not give me something juicy! That's like cruel and unusual punishment!"

"Well, I was taught to not kiss and tell."

"That is _soooo_ unfair! You can't just do that! C'mon, tell me something, anything! Just give me some details!"

"What details?"

Both girls turned their heads to see a curious Sharpner. Where he had come from, they didn't know, but then he did have this strange talent to appear out of nowhere. Then again, they probably just didn't pay enough attention to him.

Seeing a possible ally in her attempt to spill Videl's guts, Erasa whined "Videl won't tell me what she and Gohan did in Coast Town."

Sharpner's eyes narrowed, his hands clenched into fists. "What were they doing there?"

Videl couldn't help but sense some anger from the blond. He hadn't warmed up to Gohan ever since they met and she had no idea what for. "I wanted to visit my dad's grave and Gohan gave me a ride over there," she answered.

"I could've given you a ride instead."

Videl rolled her eyes. "Gohan's faster than any car or plane. It wasn't like I wanted to stay there afterwards."

"But you did stay," Erasa responded. "In fact, you were—"

"You stayed the night with him? In the same room?" Sharpner interrupted. There was an incredulous tone in his voice as he spoke.

This time Videl's eyes narrowed. Why did he care what she did and with who? It almost sounded as if he were…as if he were jealous. Protective she could understand, but Sharpner hadn't ever shown a protective side of him since he and Erasa burst into her home. And even then she could feel as if he had a different reason for being there.

"Why do you ask?" she inquired warily.

"This is the guy who's brainwashing you Videl! Erasa and I hardly ever see you anymore and I'm never invited to that…house of his," he proclaimed. He would've gone on had Erasa not interrupted him.

"But Sharpner, me and Videl talk every other day. And you're never around to go visit either. Where do you go anyways?"

"That doesn't matter," the blond said through gritted teeth. "I can't believe you two don't see what I see."

Videl had had enough. "Okay then, Sherlock, when does Gohan have the time to 'brainwash' me? He's constantly training, he has the Androids beat him near to death, can hardly move for days at a time, and then repeats. When does he have time to mess with my head?"

Sharpner was quiet for a moment before he responded. "Oh…he's good."

This caused each girl to raise an eyebrow. Seeing this, the young man decided to elaborate. "He's acting hurt—don't you see? He's trying to make you feel sorry for him, so that you'll do anything for him. I bet he has some guy beat him up every so often and then say he was fighting the An—"

"Shut up!" Videl roared, causing both blonds to look at her in astonishment. "You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Videl, just list—" Sharpner tried to say, but once more was interrupted.

"I'm the one that sees him limp his way into the house, covered in blood and barely conscious. I'm the one that cleans him up to the point of being recognized as something human. I'm the one that watches him whimper in pain and there's nothing I can do to make it go away," the dark-haired girl seethed. "I don't know why you don't like Gohan or even think he had something to do with my amnesia, but I'm tired of it. Why are you even here if you dislike him so much?"

"I didn't come here for him," the blond growled. "I came because I saw my friend get kidnapped. Why else?"

It was almost as if there was a second voice in Videl's head, whispering that there was something else Sharpner wasn't mentioning. Well, if he wasn't going to be honest about it, she wasn't going to hang around to hear it. Standing up, she began leaving them room, turning her head to say to Erasa "I'll talk to you later. I've had enough ridiculousness for the day."

* * *

A moment hadn't passed once the Satan girl left for Erasa to pounce on the steaming Sharpner. "What's wrong with you?" she scolded, none too pleased with the young man.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?" Sharpner retorted.

Erasa suppressed the urge to scream out in frustration. Videl had the right idea by leaving. Unfortunately, this was her house so there weren't many other places she could go other than Videl's place. She wasn't going to be driven out of her own home though. "You've been acting like a lunatic every time someone even thinks of Gohan. You just drove off my friend because of it and you think I'm the one with the problem? I'm not the one that disappears for hours on end and refuse to tell anyone what I do. Seriously, what do you do all day?"

Sharpner glared at her for several moments before answering. "You really want to know? Fine—I've been following that guy you girls seem to worship every day. All the nonsense of fighting is too far-fetched so I've been trying to find out what he really does, but he always gives me the slip."

Erasa stared, her jaw dropped. Was this guy living in a bubble or something? He saw Gohan actually fly off with Videl for crying out loud! "How can you think that? You've seen some of the things Gohan's done before!"

"Yeah, but who else does that kind of stuff? The only ones I know of are the Androids and they're robots," the blond countered. "There's no way normal people can do that kind of stuff. This Gohan guy can't be human."

Erasa stared at the guy for some time, not sure what to make of what he said. It seemed as if Gohan could do no good in his eyes, especially when Videl was involved. Hmm, now there was a thought. Since Sharpner seemed to not like any involvement between those two, the blonde figured the guy had another motive. What were they called again? Interior motives? Ultimate motives? Unterior motives? It was something like that. If she didn't know any better, she would've said her friend was jealous.

Wait a minute, that just made too much sense.

"You're jealous, aren't you?" Erasa said, her eyes watching Sharpner's every reaction. He didn't disappoint either as his eyes widened in astonishment. "No wonder you've been acting like this; you're trying to find some way to make Gohan look bad so Videl won't have anything to do with him."

"I don't see what this has to do with anything," Sharpner retorted.

"Of course _you_ don't. Guys never do. You like Videl and Gohan's in your way to be with her." The blonde shook her head somberly. "I'm sorry Sharpner, but I don't think you understand what's been going on between those two."

The look of rage on the young man's face made her sigh wearily. "I'm going out for a bit," she said as she stood up and retrieved her purse. "Please don't do anything reckless while I'm gone."

And with that, it was Erasa's turn to leave the blond behind.

* * *

Sharpner slammed the door to his room in anger. He just couldn't stand it; how could those two be so easily tricked? Was he truly the only one that saw this Gohan guy for who he really was? It was maddening!

At one time he could've counted on Videl agreeing with him. He was sure she would've felt the same way he did and even assist him on finding out this guy's evil plot. And if Videl was on his side, Erasa would've been too.

So Sharpner's frustration was obvious. And now the only cure to stopping this idolization those two had was to get rid of Gohan. But how? The guy could fly and was a powerhouse in strength, even though he didn't look it.

Wait, why take on an enemy head on when cunning was an option? Hmmm, an ambush perhaps? Yeah, yeah, that would work. He would just catch the guy off guard and dispose of him like tissue paper. It was ingenious!

He would have to do it away from the girls though. If they caught wind of what he was up to, they would try to stop it. Where could he do it then? It seemed as if all Gohan did was stay around the house, disappearing for who knows how long—Videl claimed he was "training" but he seriously doubted…

That was it! Sharpner just needed to know where this guy "trained" and he could do away with him there. It was going to take some time though, Gohan could fly faster than any vehicle he had access too. He was just going to have to follow him for as long as he could and over some time, he would eventually get to where this guy spent most of his days at.

And fortunately, Sharpner had all the time in the world.


	50. Mountainside Tumble

With this chapter, Onslaught has become my longest story ever. I hadn't thought it would get this far (or long), but wow. Though the ending will be coming soon, it's still amazing to see how much this story has grown from the first chapter until now. Thank you everyone for your encouragement and critique. I've really appreciated it.

* * *

For the first time in a long time, Gohan felt content. Not tired, worried, angry, or depressed—content. It felt foreign almost, yet he relished in it.

Who would've ever thought that throughout this devastated world, he of all people would find an oasis of peace? Long ago the demi-saiyan had resigned himself to living through a cycle of pain, sorrow, and loneliness. If others could find some piece of happiness, that would give him the strength to continue fighting, just so they could have that happiness for as long as possible.

Now though, he had someone to come home to after days of constant training, of being tortured to near death. Though he didn't think it was fair of him to expose someone to his reality, his someone took it in stride. How, he had no clue, but he wouldn't fault her for it.

Yes, Videl was a special woman. There wasn't any other way to describe her. Oh, there were probably many words that could be said about her, but to sum her up in just one, that was all he could come up with. It was a shame that they had to live in such a nasty world though. If things had been different, maybe they could have done all of those traditional things one would do in a relationship; meeting the parents, going for long walks at the park, hanging out with large groups of friends, and other such things.

As things stood, there was no park they could walk in since that had yet to be repaired from earlier attacks. Neither of them knew enough people to have large groups of friends and as for meeting each others parent, Videl's parents were dead and Gohan had nearly forgotten his own mother, as much as he was ashamed to admit. One of these days he would have to introduce the two…

Really though, time had just slipped right by him. He had always heard from his parents that when they were together, they would lose track of all time. At this point, Gohan could relate. It was only several months ago that he and Videl had first become intimate in Coast Town; everything had been a blur since. He wouldn't have pictured this a dozen years ago, but life had a funny way at throwing unexpected turns at people.

Looking up into the sky, the Son boy saw the sun just about reach midday. Perhaps he should call it a day today. All this thinking had made him lose his focus on training for the day. Standing at the edge of the ridge of his favorite training ground, the Saiyan took a deep breath as he prepared to take off.

The sound of rock hitting rock startled him out of his tranquility. "Who's there?" Gohan called out, turning around to look behind him. Looking left and right, the Son boy saw nothing out of the ordinary, just the occasional bush here and there. Upon hearing no answer, Gohan began to consider using his ki sense. He'd find out if he was truly alone on this ridge.

As his head turned to his left once more, he suddenly felt a presence to his right. Unfortunately, whatever it was that was with him had slammed into him. Caught off guard, Gohan felt himself pushed off the cliff edge and falling towards the ground below.

Normally taking flight while falling off a cliff would've been Gohan's first reaction; however, the ground that he and his attacker had been rushing to was a mere ten feet from the cliff edge, so their fall ended mere moments later. That ground, though, was a sharp incline, which meant the moment they hit, they began tumbling down the slope, bouncing and rolling over each endlessly. Any vegetation—ow—they happened to—ow—hit gave way to their—ow—momentum, flattening—ow—as they rolled over it. With his—ow—sense of direction and orientation—ow—thrown completely off, there was no way—ow—for Gohan to stop their tumbling. He couldn't even—ow—stop himself with his attacker's—ow—body tangled up with his.

The Son boy had no idea how long it lasted, but the next thing he knew, he and his attacker had separated. A moment later, he had come to a stop, something that he was grateful for.

Unfortunately, the world seemed to still be spinning, creating a nauseous feeling within him. Everything tilted to a side before swaying to the other. He could hardly move without faltering and collapsing to the ground. Gohan didn't know how long it took, but eventually he somehow had raised his body off the ground, his knees and forearms holding him up as he stared at the ground in beneath him. Blinking his eyes rapidly and taking deep breaths, Gohan waited until his orientation came back.

"Ugh," the demi-saiyan heard his attacker grunt, reminding him that he wasn't allow. Raising his head slowly, Gohan immediately saw a muscled youth also recovering, his long blond hair hanging in front of his face, hiding it from view.

Wait a minute, wasn't that the guy who thought he had brainwashed Videl?

Getting back onto his feet, Gohan was positive this was the guy who he was thinking about. But how did he get all the way out here? Intending to find out, he asked "What are you—"

And that was as far as he got as the guy, Sharpner he thought he was called, was also on his feet, yelling as he charged with a fist drawn back. Easily sidestepping the young man as he threw his fist, running right pass the demi-saiyan, Gohan turned his body to face him as Sharpner slide to a stop and turned around. Once again, the blond came charging, another fist ready to be thrown.

Once again, Gohan sidestepped the charge and punch, this time putting one of his hands on the back of the young man and giving him a push. This caused Sharpner to stumble, falling to the ground a moment later. Not the least bit amused, the Son boy said "I don't know what your problem is, but I think you better stop before you get hurt."

"You're the only one that's gonna get hurt!" Sharpner shouted as he scrambled to his feet.

Before he could do anything else though, Gohan was on top of him, pushing him back face into the dirt. Grabbing the blond's right arm, pressed it into the young man's back and then pushed upwards, pinning Sharpner and his arm down. "That's enough," Gohan said.

"Yes, it is."

Gohan's eyes shot wide open as he jerked his head up, finding the barrel of a shotgun less than a foot away from his face. He didn't see much else since his focus was on inside of the barrel.

Clicking sounds were soon heard, causing the Son boy to slowly turn his head to a side and then the other. All around him were people holding up guns, each one aiming right at him. This time he got clear views of the people holding him at gunpoint. Each person looked as if they had been rolling around in the dirt as any exposed skin was caked with dried dirt. Their clothes were ragged, also looking as grimy as their wearers.

"Get off of me!" Sharpner snarled as he struggled beneath the demi-saiyan. Raising his head, he soon saw the predicament the two of them were in and froze.

The man in front of the two spoke up a moment later. "Why don't you boys come with us. It seems like you two could use some straightenin' out."

* * *

The room was coated in white to the point you swore your eyes would be hurting if you stared at it for too long. There was a small desk in the corner that was organized and neat. A box of tissues, a can full of pens, and a few charts were sitting on its smooth surface. A metal shower rod protruded from the wall, reaching out for several feet before making a turn, heading a few more feet before making another turn heading back to the wall. A curtain was bunched up on one side of the railing, ready to be extended if needed. There was a bed sitting beneath the rod, not a comfortable bed but one that was serviceable.

Videl found herself sitting on that padded bed, feeling a bit nervous. It wasn't often that she went in to see a doctor, but when one was necessary, it was a good idea to go see one. For the last week or so, the dark-haired woman hadn't been feeling well. Usually it was just a sudden moment of nausea and that was it. This morning though, she had ended up acting on that nausea and threw up her breakfast. That had been very alarming.

So here she was getting herself checked out. A routine physical, some questions that were and were not of the personal nature, some blood work, and a urine sample had been done and the only thing left to do was wait for the results. Sighing, Videl wondered how much longer it would take.

A clicking sound was soon heard and the door slowly opened. Soon after the doctor walked in, his white lab coat hanging over his button-up shirt and slacks. Holding a clipboard, he seemed to be focused on it intently before looking up at her and smiling. "Well, I have some good news for you Ms. Videl."

Looking up at him, Videl waited. "Your test results show you're in good condition, no problems with your health at all."

Videl frowned. "Then why did I throw up?"

"I was just getting to that." Pulling up a chair, the doctor sat on it, facing the dark-haired woman. "We did detect traces of hormones in your urine sample. We ran a few more tests on it and all I need from you now is to answer a few more questions. Have you been urinating more frequently than usual or had constipation?"

Videl blinked her eyes. "Uhh, I have been going to the restroom a bit more often, I think."

"Have you felt any fatigue in the last couple of weeks?"

"Nothing more than usual."

The doctor nodded his head as he jotted a couple of notes down. "Well Ms. Videl, I believe I have more good news for you—"

As she listened, Videl could've sworn the whole world slowly went silent, despite the fact the doctor's lips were still moving. Time held no meaning as the last of his words sank into her mind and burned themselves there. She wasn't sure how to feel; a mixture of anxiety, giddiness, fear, and other emotions warred in her mind.

And then she felt herself smile.

* * *

To Hellsing 101 for Chapter 5: Seriously? Your DS? You're very dedicated, I must say. Very impressive.

To UltimeGohan42: Well, I have to say that Sharpner's plan didn't go exactly the way he thought it would lol

To HELLSING 101: Here ya go.


	51. At Gunpoint

For once, Gohan was not fond of another person. Though he resisted any urge to turn and glare at his blond…person, he couldn't help but wonder if this was how most people thought of Sharpner. If it wasn't for him, he'd be on his way home, not being marched through a small forest at gunpoint.

Normally, the young man would've leapt high into the air and out of danger when put into this sort of position. Unfortunately, the presence another person, who shall not be named, halted that initial instinct. Despite his current thoughts of just leaving the guy behind, he knew damn well he would never actually do such a thing. Grabbing him and then flying away wasn't exactly his best option since the added bodyweight would've slowed him down slightly—and slightly was all it took for a bullet to miss you or be lodged somewhere in your cranium. Despite the rumors going about the Gold Fighter, he was very much susceptible to bullet wounds. He wasn't a superhuman that caused bits of lead to bounce off of him like rubber. He either dodged them or snatched them out of midair. Since he had a gun barrel in his face from the get go, that was a bit more of a problem.

Now that his escape option was rendered null and void, Gohan was stuck with a group of wary rednecks that had no problem with shooting him if he gave them a funny look. The same went for Sharpner who seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. Had Gohan left the blond behind, it was likely he would've been killed, and no matter how much the demi-saiyan disliked him at the moment, he wasn't going to do anything that would get another person killed.

"Stop," the leader announced suddenly. Looking around, Gohan saw the face of a cliff in front of them, a large cave mouth at its base. Apparently this was this group of people's home.

A few minutes passed before they were ordered to move once more, heading into the cave. A sigh escaped Gohan's lips as he began to wonder how long it would take to get out of this predicament.

It wasn't long before they entered a chamber within the cave, their party coming to a stop. Lanterns were soon lit, flooding the room with light. It was at this moment that Gohan noticed their capturers hadn't had used any sort of light to lead them in here. Hmm, they must've had a lot of practice at this…

"Sit down, the both of you," the leader ordered once more. Doing as he was told, Gohan sat his rump on the cold cave floor. Sharpner, on the other hand, had other ideas.

"You don't expect me to sit down on this guano-covered floor, do you?" he objected. The cocking of a couple guns made him take back his complaint as he was immediately sitting on the ground.

"That's better," the leader said as a folding lawn chair was brought out from who knows where, one of the other rednecks unfolding it and setting it down right behind the head guy. Sitting in the chair, the leader gave the two of them a scrutinizing stare. Minutes passed before he finally said "Now, I don't know what the two of you were doin' and quite frankly I don't care. But what I do care about is the commotion you would've caused if you were doin' what it looked like you were doin'. The Androids might have heard ya and I rather not have them anywhere near this place."

Gohan nodded his head in understanding. Sharpner decided to be more vocal though. "If you'd let me tell my side of the story, I'm sure you'll understand why I was fighting this—"

The man interrupted him. "Shut up, son. I don't care why you were wrestlin' around like a couple of spoiled brats. Instead you should worry more about what we're gonna do to ya since you know we're here."

Sharpner gulped. "What do you mean 'what we're gonna do to ya'?"

"Exactly that. You outsiders know we're here and I'd much rather that information doesn't get out into the general public. The Androids might hear of us and pay us a visit."

"You can't be serious. I won't talk about you, any of you. I promise I won't if you let me go."

"Well, we can't take that chance."

From the corner of his eye, Gohan noticed the other gun-tooting people aiming their guns at him and Sharpner. This was not going to end well.

* * *

Videl slowly exited the doctor's office, still in a daze from her recently appointment. A small smile graced her lips as her eyes seemed to stare off to places unknown. The same thought ran in a constant loop in her head, never changing, never stopping. Though she could've sworn the doctor had said some other things, what she didn't know. She had stopped paying attention to everything around her, her mind being focused on this one thought.

Of course, she had to tell Gohan all about it; he needed to know after all. She wasn't sure what his reaction would be but she was almost sure he would be shocked. It wasn't that common of an experience one had in this day in age. Heck, he probably hadn't thought of it happening considering his lifestyle.

The buildings around her were just a blur. The few people that were walking the streets with her were barely acknowledged. Not surprising since in the span of a moment, her life had suddenly changed, for the better this time. She felt as if she had gained something great, yet terrifying. Despite the times that everyone lived in, this was perhaps the most significant moment of her life, including waking up in the ruins of her previous life without a clue as to who she was.

Perhaps things would begin changing for the better.

A violent tremor suddenly shook the area, the loud roaring of an explosion sounding off nearby as a cloud of smoke flew into the sky. Falling to the ground, Videl caught herself before she had landed, her arms holding her off the pavement. Jerking her head up, fear showed from her eyes as she began to hear the panicked screams of fleeing people and the horrible detonation of flames.

This couldn't be happening, not now, especially not now.

Getting back onto her feet, Videl began to run as fast as she could down the street, trying to put as much distance between here and the increasing amounts of rising smoke behind her. She ignored the people around her as she fled, the only thought in her mind being escape.

* * *

Sharpner gulped as he saw the many guns pointing at him. Who would've ever thought that he would die at the hands of blood-thirsty rednecks? It was so wrong on so many levels that he was sure there was a law against it. Unfortunately, he had a feeling that none of these people would care.

What did people do in these situations? There was pleading and begging, which didn't work as well as the blond wished. He was sure those people that were killed on death row had a last dinner. Heck, dying kids got those wishes from those charity organizations.

Well, they were worth a try.

"Hey, don't I get a last request?" he asked, hoping this would work.

The leader lowered his gun slightly, looking at him intently. "What would your request be if we did give you one?"

Okay, this was good. Well, not completely good, but he could work with it. Umm, let's see, he could ask not to be killed, but that would obviously be denied. He could ask for a cigarette and buy a little more time. Looking about the cave, Sharpner tried to think of anything he could ask for that would prolong his life.

And then his eyes fell on Gohan.

It was purely instinctive. His arm shot up, his index finger pointing right at the man, and his voice said "Shoot him first."

The man laughed out loud as the others snickered. "Alright son, have it your way." Turning their guns, they were soon pointing right at Gohan, who looked surprised by this latest development. A second later his eyes narrowed and face hardened. It could've just been a trick of the light, the little that was available, but Sharpner could've sworn he saw the dark-haired youth bulk up. It was like his body expanded, not obviously but enough to be considered extremely subtle.

The next thing the blond man knew, a torrent of wind appeared out of nowhere, sending him flying backwards. A cry of surprise left his lips as he felt himself moving through air. Similar cries were heard from the others, though the sound of gunshots was heard soon after.

An explosion of pain shot throughout his shoulder a moment later, his cry of surprise twisting into one of pain. Sharpner landed on the ground shortly after that, another wave of pain rushing through his body. On instinct, Sharpner shot his left hand across his body, grabbing onto his right shoulder and feeling a wetness he did not like. Eyes clinched tightly, teeth bared, he slowly opened his eyes, moving his hand up and seeing his palm and fingers dripping with blood.

Damn it, one of those yahoos had shot him on accident. That wasn't suppose to happen, it should've been Gohan, not him! Lowering his hand back to grasp his shoulder, he quickly saw some of the gunholders were slumped against the cave walls, obviously knocked unconscious. A few were slow to get up, but they were searching for their firearms.

Suddenly, Sharpner felt his left hand move from his shoulder, though not by his choice. A different hand had grabbed it and was pulling on him. Though he was a big guy, Sharpner soon found himself yanked off the ground and being dragged down the cave tunnel. Giving a yelp, Sharpner lost track of his surroundings before finding himself outside of the cave and leaving the ground at a very fast rate. In fact, he was now high above the treetops, his feet dangling beneath him.

Jerking his head up, the blond found Gohan holding him by his wrist, looking in the direction they were going. Sharpner felt the urge to yank his hand away from the man, but he resisted the impulse furiously. He was way too high in the air and a fall would likely prove very fatal.

Sharpner wasn't sure how long the two of them flew, but after awhile, Gohan lowered them closer to the ground, releasing his hold on the blond a few feet from the ground. Surprised, the young man crashed onto the ground, another shout of pain coming from him.

Hissing, Sharpner tried to calm his mind, soothing the pain running wild in his body. Looking up, he soon found Gohan looking down at him, hovering in midair. The two stared at each for several moments before the dark-haired man said "I think you've caused enough trouble for today. Go home."

Sharpner glared at him. "Who do you think you are? You can't tell me what to do!"

Gohan's expression remained the same. "I got you out of that cave when I could've just left you behind. You might want to think about that for awhile."

Sharpner paled as he considered those words. So caught up in that thought, he never noticed as Gohan rose higher into the air, turned around, and flew away, leaving him behind. It wasn't until he looked up and saw the last of Gohan disappearing across the horizon that he realized that he had been left behind. "Hey! You can't leave me here!" he shouted as he began running after the man. It didn't take him long to realize how futile that was and began figuring out what he was going to do. He had to get to some town or village to seek medical treatment for his gunshot wound.

Digging around in his pockets, one at a time of course, he soon found his hovercar capsule and opened it. It had been very fortunate for him the gun fanatics hadn't searched and taken it from him.

Jumping in, Sharpner ignited the engine and sped off to places unknown.

* * *

The wind whipped at Gohan's face as he flew. The world around him was like a blur as the greens and browns of the land and the blue of the sky mixed with each other. It wasn't often that the demi-saiyan ran across someone that would make him not like them, but that Sharpner guy had pressed all of the right buttons to do so. In any other instance, Gohan would've made sure a person had been taken to somewhere safe, even a place that they could access medical attention if need be. Instead, he had left a person all on their own and didn't even know if the guy would be able to fend for himself. Normally he would feel guilty about it, but today he was beyond being kind. All he wanted to do was go home and forget the rest of the day.

Had he been in a better mood, he would've seen the clouds of smoke rising into the air of Ginger Town. Had he been in the right mind, he would've noticed the commotion of fleeing people beneath him as he flew overhead. Since he wasn't in his right mind, it wasn't until he was hovering over the city, awestruck by the ruin below.

How had this happened? Had the Androids stuck while he was dealing with Sharpner and the gun fanatics? And then a sinking feeling settled in the Son boy's stomach.

Videl.

Immediately, Gohan began extending his ki senses, trying to locate the woman. First he checked the part of town there house was located at and found nothing. Working his way from there, he felt for any source of life. Minutes passed and anxiety began gnawing at his mind as he felt the lack of kis in the city. Where in the world was she? Was it possible that she had fled with everyone else? If so, he couldn't imagine where she could go next. Bulma's perhaps? Coast Town?

Wait a second, there was something there. It was faint, but he was almost sure that there was some life in what remained of Ginger Town.

Descending into the smoldering ruins, Gohan landed on a street by the edge of town. A small crater had been made right in the middle of the street, chucks of the road laid scattered in its depths. The buildings lining the street were cracked all over, some of them missing their upper floors while others had a few holes in their walls. Over by one building was a small pile of rubble, a small body lying next to it…

Gohan felt his breath hitch in this throat. Quickly, he ran over to the body and promptly froze. Fear ran throughout his body as some other emotion began choking him up, and something else building up in his face. Videl laid amongst the debris, surprisingly uncovered except for a few small pieces of concrete. Dropping to his knees, Gohan slowly reached his arms out, settling on the young woman's shoulders. Carefully, he raised the dark-haired girl's head and chest, treating her like a porcelain doll that could break at any moment.

It was then he noticed Videl's eyes slowly open, not completely, but enough for her to look at him. Her breathing was slow, almost undetectable, yet Gohan didn't notice it. He was so focused on the woman in front of him that he didn't register anything happening around him until he felt her fingertips brush against his check. When had she moved her arm? No, what was he thinking? Videl was in trouble and he needed to help her. He just needed to give her a senzu bean and all would be—

No…no he couldn't. As he felt himself go cold, the thought that he had left the bag at their home hitting him upside the head. Okay, no need to panic. He would just take Videl home and give the bean to her there. Everything would be alright. Everything would be…

For a moment, it looked like she wanted to say something, but instead her eyes closed, her hand dropping to the ground. "Videl?" Gohan said in panic, his eyes widening, tearing up. "Videl!" he said in a louder voice as he began to shake her, trying to get some reaction out of her.

It wasn't long before two trains of thought were warring in his mind. His more rational side knew the ugly truth he was staring at while his more emotional one refused to believe in it. Gohan had been through one too many battles and had seen one too many horrors, and now he was faced with another.

Swallowing, Gohan pulled Videl to him, wrapping his arms around her. A sob escaped his lips, a couple tears slowly working down his cheeks. He wasn't sure how long he stayed that way, but eventually he lowered her back to the ground.

Despite the sorrow he was feeling, another emotion began to grow in him. Slowly, he felt his hands curling into fists, his body shaking in grief. With his face twisting into anger, Gohan let out a loud scream, bringing his fist over his head before slamming them onto the ground in front of him and Videl. Somewhere around him, jets of smoke and steam exploded from the ground, hissing as they the pressure beneath the ground was relieved.

And then Gohan became lost in his tears.

* * *

To UltimateGohan42: Figure that out huh? I guess I wasn't as subtle as I hoped it be.

To A-man: Hopefully Gohan's caring nature is a reasonable excuse, no matter how strained at the moment lol. I do believe we are in disagreement of a couple things though. From what I can tell, ki sensing isn't a constant ability. More like the user has to actively use it. Otherwise, the Z fighters would be sensing all 6 billion people on the planet and that would have to give them a migraine at some point. They probably even at their attention more focused on abnormally high ki levels rather than the usual ones of the planet. So if Gohan did sense the militia, he probably had already brush them off as no threat and didn't pay any mind to them until they were right in front of him. As for that invincibility to bullets, the only person in DBZ that allowed bullets, or even missles for that matter, hit him was Cell. All the Saiyans and Humans either dodged the gunfire or, in most Saiyan cases, caught the bullets. If they were invulnerable to it, I'm pretty sure they would've not minded the bullets hitting them. As for dodging, which Gohan admitted as his initial reaction, he had another person that would've been hit and he's not one to allow suffering around him if he can help it. Hopefully that's at least an acceptable reason.


	52. Onslaught

The doctor slumped into his chair, feeling fatigued to the bone. Today had been a rough one. No one had seen the Androids' sudden attack on the town, especially since they hadn't been in the area for a few years. It had been a good thing he had been at the clinic when the attack had started. The basement had proven to be a very good place to lay low until the mayhem had ended.

Eventually though, the building was soon flooded with people who were injured or nearly dead. The doctor had spent the rest of the day tending to the wounded and making the final passage for the dying as comfortable as possible. A very, very rough day indeed.

The worst case though, had been a young man bringing in a recently deceased woman. He had seemed very protective of her, never being outside of five feet from her. It didn't matter since she was dead.

Yet, he had recognized the woman the moment he saw her face. She had been in the clinic earlier in the day and he had seen to it she was attended to. A slight illness was all she thought it to be until he had run some tests. It was then that he found out she was pregnant.

The doctor sighed. It had been two deaths, he reminded himself, since the fetus was most assuredly dead as well. Seeing the grief on the young man's face though had told the doctor that this must've been the father. An unaware one too.

Turning his head, the doctor looked out the door of his office, finding the room that was being occupied by the two. Well, her body was lying on a bed while he sat in a chair next to it. Though clinic policy was to make room for patients that were savable, he had felt it was a good idea to bend the rules a little. They had just enough space and available beds for everyone there, including the deceased. Arrangements for the interment would have to be done the next day, but as of right now, they could wait.

Yet, he needed to do something. This man had the right to know about his unborn baby and since he was the one who knew about it, it was gonna have to be him to inform him. Standing up, he walked over to the young man's room and knocked lightly on the door.

The young man turned his head to look at him, his eyes unfocused as he stared. "Yes?" he said in a raspy voice.

Well, this was not going to be a fun conversation. How did one start these kinds of things anyway? "Hello, Mr…Son, I believe?" Upon seeing nod, the doctor went on. "I just thought I'd inform you that your wife had come into the clinic earlier today."

For a moment, the young man looked as if he were going to say something before he changed his mind. "She had said she wasn't feeling very well lately," he finally said.

Nodding his head, the doctor replied "Yes, well we ran some tests earlier and we found out she—"

He paused for a moment. "We found out she had a bug, nothing major. I…just thought you'd like to know."

Mr. Son nodded his head slowly before turning to gaze back at the woman. "That's…good," was all he said.

Seeing as there was nothing else to say, the doctor excused himself and headed back to his office, closing the door behind him and collapsing into his chair. That man's face, it was so grief-stricken. Perhaps…perhaps it was best he didn't know about the child. He had suffered enough heartbreak today as it was; there was no need to add more to it.

Sighing once more, the doctor hoped he was doing the right thing.

* * *

A light breeze blowing caused the tree branches to move, the cherry blossums fluttering against each other as some flew off into the air. The grass flowed like a wave before settling back in its previous position as if nothing had happened.

With a somber look, Gohan stared down at the gravestone. VIDEL SATAN was carved into the stone much like lettering of her father's grave nearby.

Looking away, Gohan stared at the tree. He had thought it was best to have Videl resting here next to her father. He was sure she would've liked that. He hoped.

Two weeks had passed since that awful day had occurred. It had been the last time he had been in Ginger Town. He had been wondering around the Coast Town area for the time since, not quite sure what to do. There had been a funeral with the town's folk paying their respects. At least he thought they were the locals. He recognized Erasa and Sharpner being there, but he hadn't said anything to them. In fact, that had been the last time he saw the two.

He sighed. This had to stop, this languishing. The world was moving on, leaving him behind despite the fact that he wanted everything to slow down, if not stop completely. Gohan had lost people before, but for some reason this one hadn't let him move on as easily as the others.

Turning to look at the grave, Gohan moved to stand next to it, resting his hand on top of it. The polished stone was cool to the touch, much like the way Videl had felt the last time she had touched him. This…this was going to be the last time he visited her grave, at least for the time being. The Androids were still around and more of this tragedy would continue until it was stopped.

For a moment, the demi-saiyan felt he had to say something. People always spoke to their loved ones' graves, right? Perhaps it was worth a try.

"This is good-bye," he said. "At least until this is all over. Hopefully we'll meet again in Otherworld. I'm sure we'll have plenty to talk about then."

Time drifted as he let the moment sink in. Finally, he floated off the ground, heading high into the sky before flying off into the distance. He had no idea how long he flew or where he was going. He'd find out when he got to where he was going, where ever that was.

It wasn't until he came across another city, just freshly attacked if his eyes weren't deceiving him. Heading into the heart of it, he landed on top of the remains of a building, its shattered windows leaving gaping holes in it. It didn't take long for him to know that he was too late to do any good.

Some movement at the corner of his eyes caught his attention, causing him to turn his head and look. Standing there was Trunks of all people, looking devastated. He looked bigger than he last remembered him to be, older too. A determination in his body language was evident despite that it had once radiated innocence. When had that happened? From the look of his clothing, he hadn't been involved with the fighting, most likely arriving just as he had. He could've sworn he heard the young man ask him something, he wasn't quite sure what. A worn-out doll was right next to him, just recently dropped.

He wasn't sure how long he stood up there, just looking at the younger demi-saiyan and the destruction around them. Somewhere in that time Bulma had showed up, worried to death and smothering her son in maternal protectiveness. Before he knew it, he was at the Briefs' home again, staring out a sliding glass door as the sun set at the horizon. Gohan was hardly paying attention to his surroundings and the Briefs were content to let him work through his thoughts. Bulma was making something in her kitchen, something good from the smell of it, and Trunks was sitting at the table silently, probably in his own musings.

The world was still marching on. Things were changing; everything was changed. Despite the presence of the Androids, life was moving forward, despite the chaos they wroth. Before him, Gohan could see the maturing of Trunks as he entered adolescence, people adapting to the ever-present threat, and even he himself was changing.

And that was all the more reason to keep going, despite the urge to stop, to quit moving on. Though Trunks had never known a world without danger, a younger generation was coming into the world with that same view. It had to stop, needed to stop. And he would make sure he was the one to end it. There were people counting on him to do so and he couldn't let their faith in him be for naught. Trunks, Bulma, and so many others were just waiting for a better world to be created, much like Videl had.

Gohan could feel his resolve building. There were many things he had to do and he would make sure they were done. The future needed a warrior to save her and he'd make sure it was him. This terror would end with him. Survival was key to this and survive he would. He would make it out of this Onslaught, one way or another.

* * *

When I began this story, the goal was to reach 40 chapters. Obviously this chapter proves that goal was blown away quite awhile ago lol. There were plenty of things I knew I wanted to do and I feel like I've accomplished most of those. As things stand now, this story is my longest in words, chapters, and now holds the most reviews I've received for a story. For that, I wish to thank everyone that has read, enjoyed, and reviewed this story. It has been quite a ride.

And with that said, there has been a bit of an outcry with the previous chapter. It seems that my rationale for gun-vulnerable Saiyans is wrong, and I admit as much. For everyone that has presented proof of that, thank you. However, I began to feel as if that was all many reviewers seemed to care about despite that being a very small detail. If I had to do it over again, I'd probably consider doing something different instead. But as of right now, I don't think it has altered the story as a whole and in the grand scheme of things, that one detail has been a tad overblown. There's plenty of stories that have done far worse than this. If it helps any, consider it AU.

Once again, thank you everyone that has enjoyed this story. I shall be returning to my roots with my next fic, all of which I haven't even begun writing, but intend to do soon. My funnybone is twitching lol.

ShadowMajin


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